Harry Topper will bid to get his season back on track in the £100,000 Grade Two Argento Chase (2.25pm) over an extended three miles and a furlong on Festival Trials Day, Saturday, January 25, the last day's racing at Cheltenham before The Festival.
The
seven-year-old put himself into the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup picture on his
seasonal return, staying on strongly to land the Grade Two Charlie Hall Chase
by a neck at Wetherby on November 2.
The
seven-year-old put himself into the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup picture on his
seasonal return, staying on strongly to land the Grade Two Charlie Hall Chase
by a neck at Wetherby on November 2.
However,
Kim Bailey's charge failed to build on that when trailing home last of three in
the Listed Future Stars Chase at Sandown on December 6.
Bailey
reported: "Harry Topper has been fine since Sandown and the plan now
is to run in the Argento Chase.
"His
run at Sandown was down to the ground, but I thought he jumped the best he ever
has.
"The
dream is still the Gold Cup, but he would have to improve a bit and has to have
soft ground."
The
Argento Chase has been a key pointer to the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup with
Little Owl (1981), Master Oats (1995), also trained by Bailey, and Looks Like
Trouble (2000) completing the double in the same season. See More Business
captured the Argento Chase in 1998 and went on to give Paul Nicholls his first
Gold Cup a year later.
About
Festival Trials Day
Many of
the horses that run on Festival Trials Day are having their final preparation
before The Festival and it is rare that this meeting does not feature at least
one subsequent Festival winner. In 2013, two horses found themselves in the
winner's enclosure on both Festival Trials Day and The Festival itself,
Sprinter Sacre and At Fishers Cross.
Festival
Trials Day is a great opportunity to see Jump racing's superstars and
experience the excitement as The Festival draws closer. Even better, it takes
place on a Saturday so there is no need to take a day off to enjoy a visit to
The Home of Jump Racing.
After
racing, there is another Brightwells Bloodstock sale. See www.brightwells.com for
more information.
The
gates open at 10.30am with the first of seven races at 12.40pm and the last
race due off at 4.10pm.
The
seven-race card features four Grade Two contests - the JCB Triumph Hurdle
Trial, the Argento Chase, the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle and
the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle.
Complementing
the four Grade Two contests are three competitive handicaps - the Grade Three
freebets.com Trophy Handicap Chase, the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase and
the Steel Plate & Sections Handicap Hurdle.
The
Festival, which takes place on four days between Tuesday, March 11 and Friday,
March 14, is the next racing at Cheltenham.
About
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham
Racecourse is situated in Prestbury on the outskirts of the historic spa town
of Cheltenham. The Home of Jump Racing, Cheltenham Racecourse is the venue for
the world's pre-eminent Jump Racing meeting, The Festival, which takes place in
March every year. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Cotswolds,
Cheltenham Racecourse is a stunning natural amphitheatre and offers the
highest-quality action throughout the Jump season.
Cheltenham
has been voted Britain's Racecourse of the Year for the last 10 years by
members of the Racegoers Club. Between 1972 and 2013, there have been 41
Racecourse of the Year Awards voted for by Racegoers Club members and
Cheltenham Racecourse has achieved the top accolade on 19 occasions.
Please
find more details at www.cheltenham.co.uk and
through Twitter (@CheltenhamRaces) and Facebook www.facebook.com/thehomeofjumpracing
Cheltenham
Racecourse is part of The Jockey Club, which has been at the heart of British
racing for more than 260 years. Today the largest commercial group in the
sport, The Jockey Club runs the largest racecourse group in the UK by turnover
(2012: £142.1m), courses (15) including those at Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom
Downs and Newmarket, attendances (2012: 1.8m), total prize money (2012:
£35.3m), contribution to prize money (2012: £16.5m) and quality racing (Group
and Graded races); more than 3,000 acres of world-class training grounds in
Newmarket and Lambourn; The National Stud breeding enterprise and education
provider; and the charity for racing's people in need, Racing Welfare. Governed
by Royal Charter, every penny The Jockey Club makes it puts back into British
racing. More information is available at www.thejockeyclub.co.uk
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