AT a tricky time of the year so close to Cheltenham, Kelso have done a fine job developing their card into their very own marquee fixture today. The card features the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle, which links nicely to Cheltenham through a €100,000 bonus for any horse who can win the two-mile contest and score again at the Festival in two weeks time.

Emmet Mullins has paved the way already, having done exactly that with The Shunter two seasons ago and his McTigue as an intriguing runner, but is not the only Irish-trained runner in the race, as Lorna Fowler has sent over last year’s County Hurdle third Colonel Mustard.

The eight-year-old embarked on a chasing career earlier this season and while not at all disgraced in two starts, notably finding only El Fabiolo too hot at Fairyhouse, he reverts to hurdles now where he was allotted a British mark of 143 when the handicap weights were released for Cheltenham this week.

That is just 3lb higher than his County Hurdle third and the form of that race has worked out seriously well, with both horses who finished in front of him, State Man and First Street, proving themselves to be very well handicapped horses since.

“We’re as hopeful as we can be,” Fowler told The Irish Field. “We’re very happy with him. We went chasing with him and were just going to see where that took us. It just fitted in that we’d come back over hurdles.

“We were going to go for the Betfair Hurdle but the ground put paid to that, so we sort of regrouped and this looked a good option. He’s got very few miles on the clock this season so he is a fresh horse.”

Should today go well, Fowler is most definitely targeting the bonus win, with Colonel Mustard’s only handicap entry at Cheltenham back in the County Hurdle.

“Look it’s a very difficult thing to do, you need every star to align for you but I don’t think it’s impossible. The incentive is there for us to go and give it a try. Sometimes you have to give it a go.”

McTigue was trading as a general 4/1 favourite on Friday evening. He was well held in the Grade 2 Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas, but had earlier won both his first two starts over hurdles at Sedgefield and Auteuil.

He has been given a British mark of 142, 6lb higher than his Irish assessment. The other Irish-trained runner is Wajaaha, who represents Co Tyrone-based trainer Patrick McKenna. Previously trained by Charles Byrnes, the eight-year-old gelding finished second in a Naas handicap hurdle recently off a mark of 123. He has to race off a 7lb higher mark today.

THERE is a ‘calm before the storm’ feel to this weekend’s action with the Cheltenham Festival on the horizon, but last year’s Grade 3 Flyingbolt Novice Chase provided us with a fair pointer to future spring festival success.

Gentleman De Mee, the Grade 1-winning Champion Chase hope for Willie Mullins and J.P. McManus, went on to topple Edwardstone on his next start in the Maghull Novices’ Chase after striking in this race at Navan, so it could be well worth paying attention to this year’s PS Supplies Doors & Floors-backed prize.

Only five runners go to post, but quality is assured through the presence of Hollow Games, placed in a pair of Grade 1s last season and third in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham before being sent chasing this term.

Bective Stud’s £255,000 point-to-point purchase got off to a flying start over fences when winning a beginners’ chase impressively here in November, but he returns to the Meath venue on a retrieval mission after disappointing on his last start behind Saint Roi at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.

“We gave Hollow Games a little wind operation after his last start at Leopardstown in the Grade 1 novice chase,” said his trainer Gordon Elliott.

“He had an entrapped epiglottis, which we rectified. We gave him a few different entries for Cheltenham and the most likely option we looked at was the Arkle, but we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on here.

“He always has the option of heading to Fairyhouse next month [for the Grade 1 BoyleSports Gold Cup Novice Chase]. He won well on his first start over fences, we had been looking forward to him as a chaser this season.”

Also in the mix for Saturday’s feature event at Navan are the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Flame Bearer and Ha D’Or - both impressive winners over fences at Fairyhouse earlier this season - Mouse Morris’ recent Punchestown scorer Indiana Jones and the Mick Mulvany-trained Barnacullia, who should enjoy this two-mile test.