Saturday is Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham as the famous Gloucestershire venue hosts its final day of racing action before the big one in March.
It's a whopper eight-race card from Cheltenham (12:05-16:10) as the re-arranged Clarence House Chase bolsters a card that already boasted the Cotswold Chase and the Cleeve Hurdle amongst its five Grade 2 events.
Ahead of a quality day of National Hunt racing, Enda McElhinney has a race-by-race assessment of the Cheltenham action on Saturday.
12:05 - JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2, 2m1f)
A potential showdown between two of the most exciting young hurdlers trained in Britain. Sir Gino impressed on his UK bow at Kempton over Christmas, having also scored at Auteuil before relocating to Nicky Henderson. The Seven Barrows inmate brings good claims but he'll have to go some to deny BURDETT ROAD.
He is atop the ante-post lists for the Triumph Hurdle itself back here in March and having attained a rating of 101 on the Flat, he is a classy recruit to this sphere for trainer James Owen.
Harry Cobden remains in the saddle as Burdett Road bids to complete an unbeaten treble over timber. He showed his turn of foot when scoring over this trip here in November and, on that evidence, ranks the one to beat now in what rates a showdown between the big two.
12:40 - Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase (2m4½f)
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has Ginny's Destiny going for a hat-trick of Cheltenham wins. He scored in November and December and the son of Yeats has gone up another 6lb now. He's very much respected but this looks a deeper race and he will do well to ship weight in all directions and come out on top, while his 11 rivals are unlikely to permit him an easy time up front.
Blow Your Wad made a bright start to his chasing career by chasing home Le Patron at Sandown (2m4f, good to soft) in November and duly built on that to score at Kempton (2m4½f, good) on Boxing Day. He, too, has been raised 6lb for that success.
Persian Time, Happy And Fine and Prairie Wolf are other last-time-out winners in the field, with perhaps the last-named being the principal threat of that trio, as he scored with something in hand at Doncaster in December over this trip with a subsequent winner in third.
UNEXPECTED PARTY was disappointing at Ascot five weeks ago but might be worth a forgiving attitude. A winner at Chepstow in October on his comeback, he had a tough challenge here next time before contesting a Sandown Grade 1 novice and then heading to Ascot. That busy spell might have caught him out and, eased 3lb by the assessor, Dan Skelton's nine-year-old could have a pot such as this in him.
13:15 - Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap, 2m4½f)
Heavy ground at Aintree rather found out LOUNGE LIZARD in the Becher Chase back in December but that isn't his first time failing to see a race out on such a surface. Before that, his Exeter comeback second in October was full of promise and, back on a sounder surface now, his stamina should be an asset over this trip at Cheltenham. Henry Daly's charge carries just 10st 2lb and rates a solid each-way shout in an open race.
Hitman for Paul Nicholls and Ga Law for Jamie Snowden are assured operators on their best work but have their share of weight, so it could be Il Ridoto for the Ditcheat handler that has a major say after two good runs over track and trip already this season.
13:50 - Paddy Power Cotswold Chase (Grade 2, 3m1f)
Six runners but a really intriguing renewal of this contest. Stay Away Fay was a Festival winner over hurdles last March at three-miles and is now 2-2 as a chaser. He won well at Sandown (3m, soft) in December and connections have faith in him stamina-wise. He is, though, a frontrunner and so the presence of Ahoy Senor is a worry.
Lucinda Russell's charge hasn't been seeing his races out but is liable to have plenty use made of him. The Real Whacker is another that has previous for going forward, though he was ridden with more patience in the King George last time, finishing fourth.
Coral Gold Cup winner Datsalrightgino faces classier opposition now and so ROYALE PAGAILLE might be the one to gather up the pieces for Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch.
Soft ground is ideal and he won the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock in November's comeback. All three appearances here previously have come in Gold Cups and he might just relish this less daunting Cheltenham test having run with credit in those three starts.
14:25 - My Pension Expert Clarence House Chase (Grade 1, 2m)
The excitement that surrounded last weekend's proposed JONBON vs. El Fabiolo clash at Ascot sadly has not carried over a week, with the Irish raider staying at home and casting an eye instead towards the Dublin Racing Festival next weekend. That heavyweight tussle will have to wait for March.
Regular pilot Nico de Boinville is sidelined but Jonbon should be able to go about things as normal under James Bowen here and it will be a major shock if he's beaten.
His rivals are all older and while Editeur Du Gite was tailed off here in November behind Jonbon, his subsequent defeat of Nube Negra at Kempton over Christmas gives him claims of being best of the rest.
