ENTRIES for the final four races of the Cheltenham Festival were unveiled this week with the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, the new Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices Hurdle and the St James’s Place Foxhunter Chase.
The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase on Wednesday will be run as a conditions race for the first time, having previously been a handicap. A total 25 entries for the three and three quarter miles race include previous winner Balthazar King (Philip Hobbs), who was successful in 2012 and 2014. The gelding will be making his first racecourse appearance after suffering serious rib injuries when falling in the Grand National last April.
Irish trainers have been responsible for nine of the 11 winners of the race and 15 Irish-trained entries for this year’s race include Josies Orders (Enda Bolger), who has taken both of the Cross Country Chases at Cheltenham so far this season, the high class recent Irish Gold Cup fourth Foxrock (Ted Walsh), last year’s winner Rivage D’Or, Peter Maher’s Ballyboker Bridge, third last year and cross-country regular Uncle Junior.
CHAMPION BUMPER
Wednesday also features the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, which has attracted 32 entries. The championship contest has been dominated by Irish-trained horses though Moon Racer was a rare English-trained winner for David Pipe, with Irish handlers having sent out 17 of the 23 winners.
Willie Mullins has engaged 10 horses as he bids for a ninth victory in the race, including current favourite, Navan listed bumper scorer Augusta Kate, while champion flat trainer Aidan O’Brien may aim for his first festival win in 16 years with Leopardstown winner Aspen Colorado.
The British challenge looks set to be headed by Coeur Blimey (Susan Gardner) and joint favourite Ballyandy (Nigel Twiston-Davies), who were first and second in a listed bumper at Ascot in December.
The first running of the Grade 2 Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle is the final race on Thursday, March 17th, and has 36 entries for the two mile, one furlong contest which include the Mullins trained favourite Limini, who easily won a Grade 3 mares’ novices’ hurdle at Fairyhouse in January.
Richard and Lizzie Kelvin-Hughes, who own the sponsor Trull House Stud, may be represented by the Nicky Henderson-trained pair of Chocca Wocca and Robins Reef, plus Dusky Legend, from the stable of Alan King.
On The Fringe was a decisive winner of the Foxhunter Chase in 2015 and the Enda Bolger-trained 11-year-old heads 41 contenders for this year’s race, which takes place on Gold Cup Day.
All eyes, and a huge media interest, will centre on Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendelton’s bid to complete in the race on the Paul Nicholls-trained Pasha Du Polder, on whom she scored her first racecourse success at Wincanton on Wednesday.
Paint The Clouds (Warren Greatrex), who was third last season, warmed up for this year’s race with an easy victory at Doncaster two weeks ago.
Other entries include Marito (Colin McBratney) and Aupcharlie (Henry de Bromhead), who fought out the finish to a point-to-point at Oldtown on February 7th.
A total of 601 of the total festival entry are trained in Ireland.
This means that 33% of the entries are Irish-trained, the second highest percentage ever, following on from the 34.35% last year.