Last year's Cheltenham Champion Bumper hero Black Hercules is the ante-post favourite for the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, for which a total of 97 entries were revealed today.

Trained by Willie Mullins, Black Hercules most recently won a Grade 3 hurdle at Cork in December and is one of 21 entered by his trainer for the three-mile Cheltenham contest.

There are a record 42 Irish-trained entries in total, including highly-regarded Grade 2 victor No More Heroes (Gordon Elliott) and the consistent Martello Tower (Margaret Mullins).

Noel Meade took the spoils last year with Very Wood and has four engaged, headed by easy Navan scorer Snow Falcon, while Mouse Morris has nominated Alpha Des Obeaux and Baily Cloud.

A strong British entry includes Orbo Ab Chao (Alan King), who narrowly got the better of Value At Risk (Dan Skelton) at Cheltenham last Saturday, and previous course and distance scorer Blaklion (Nigel Twiston-Davies), who was narrowly defeated at Doncaster last Saturday by Caracci Apache.

ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICES' HURDLE

Grade 1, £120,000, 2.40pm, Friday, March 13th. 3m.

Horse Age Owner Trainer

AENGUS (IRE) 5 Patricia Hunt Noel Meade IRE

ALL HELL LET LOOSE (IRE) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Sandra Hughes IRE

ALPHA DES OBEAUX (FR) 5 Gigginstown House Stud Mouse Morris IRE

ALTERNATIF (FR) 5 Prof Caroline Tisdall David Pipe

ALVISIO VILLE (FR) 5 J P McManus Willie Mullins IRE

AMIDON (FR) 5 P H Betts Lucy Wadham

AMINABAD (FR) 5 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

ANTEROS (IRE) 7 K W Bell Sophie Leech

AQALIM 5 Bloomfields John Ferguson

ARBRE DE VIE (FR) 5 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE

ARGENT KNIGHT 5 Straightline Construction Ltd Donald McCain

AUVERGNAT (FR) 5 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill

AVANT TOUT (FR) 5 Supreme Horse Racing Club Willie Mullins IRE

BAILY CLOUD (IRE) 5 R A Scott Mouse Morris IRE

BALLAGH (IRE) 6 Carolyn Kendrick Ben Case

BEAST OF BURDEN (IRE) 6 Carl Hinchy Rebecca Curtis

BINGE DRINKER (IRE) 6 Corsellis, Stockdale & Seyfried Rebecca Curtis

BIRCH HILL (IRE) 5 Ronnie Bartlett Nicky Henderson

BITOFAPUZZLE 7 Chris Giles & Potensis Bloodstock Ltd Harry Fry

BLACK HERCULES (IRE) 6 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE

BLAKLION 6 S Such & CG Paletta Nigel Twiston-Davies

CARACCI APACHE (IRE) 5 Henry Ponsonby Nicky Henderson

CARNINGLI (IRE) 6 The Newport Partnership Rebecca Curtis

CHAMPAGNE AT TARA 6 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill

CHIDSWELL (IRE) 6 David & Nicky Robinson Nicky Richards

COULEUR FRANCE (IRE) 7 Patricia Hunt Noel Meade IRE

DEFINITLY RED (IRE) 6 P J Martin Brian Ellison

DESILVANO 6 International Plywood (Importers) Ltd James Evans

FINE ARTICLE (IRE) 6 Kay Browne Paul Nolan IRE

FLETCHER (IRE) 6 Philip J Reynolds Eddie Harty IRE

FLETCHERS FLYER (IRE) 7 Masterson Holdings Limited Harry Fry

FLINTHAM 6 The Rasher Partnership Mark Bradstock

FLY VINNIE (IRE) 6 Matros Racing 2 Sandy Thomson

FORYOURINFORMATION 6 Carl Hinchy Rebecca Curtis

GLOBALISATION (IRE) 5 J P McManus Rebecca Curtis

GOLAN DANCER (IRE) 7 S Hunt, R Butler, D Ward, S Girardier David Bridgwater

GROVE SILVER (IRE) 6 Alan Baxter Anthony Bloor Dave Cheetham Jennie Candlish

HOW ABOUT IT (IRE) 6 Carl Hinchy Rebecca Curtis

INNER DRIVE (IRE) 7 McNeill Family Alan King

KAUTO GRAND MOGOL (FR) 7 J C Delamere/D McCorkell/H Catherwood Liz Doyle IRE

KAVANAGHS CORNER (IRE) 6 Bridget O'Flynn Simon Earle

KILLER CROW (IRE) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

KILLULTAGH VIC (IRE) 6 Rose Boyd/B Anderson/Mrs M Armstrong Willie Mullins IRE

KINGSCOURT NATIVE (IRE) 7 K S B, M Doughty & Sarah Tizzard Colin Tizzard

KINGSWELL THEATRE 6 John J Murray Lucinda Russell

KLEPHT (IRE) 10 Mrs H Mullins Thomas Mullins IRE

KYLEMORE LOUGH 6 M J McMahon Richard Lee

LITE DUTIES (IRE) 6 E Casey Charles Byrnes IRE

LYRICAL THEATRE (IRE) 6 The Hibo Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE

MAN OF PLENTY 6 G Thompson Sophie Leech

MARINERO (IRE) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Tony Martin IRE

MARTELLO TOWER (IRE) 7 Barry Connell Margaret Mullins IRE

MAX DYNAMITE (FR) 5 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE

MCKINLEY 5 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

MEASUREOFMYDREAMS (IRE) 7 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

MILSEAN (IRE) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

MONBEG THEATRE (IRE) 6 Tim Dykes & Lynda Lovell Jamie Snowden

MONTDRAGON (FR) 5 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill

NATIVE RIVER (IRE) 5 Brocade Racing Colin Tizzard

NET D'ECOSSE (FR) 5 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

NICHOLS CANYON 5 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE

NO DICE (IRE) 6 Malcolm Denmark Tony Martin IRE

NO MORE HEROES (IRE) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE

OKOTOKS (IRE) 5 Malcolm Denmark Tony Martin IRE

ONE FOR ARTHUR (IRE) 6 Two Golf Widows Lucinda Russell

ON IMPULSE (IRE) 6 A Heffernan Ted Walsh IRE

ON TOUR (IRE) 7 T Hywel Jones Evan Williams

OPEN EAGLE (IRE) 6 Supreme Horse Racing Club Willie Mullins IRE

ORDO AB CHAO (IRE) 6 A R W Marsh Alan King

OUTLANDER (IRE) 7 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

OUT SAM 6 Richard & Lizzie Kelvin-Hughes Nicky Henderson

QEWY (IRE) 5 Bloomfields John Ferguson

RACING EUROPE (IRE) 6 P J Martin Brian Ellison

RELENTLESS DREAMER (IRE) 6 Nigel Morris Rebecca Curtis

ROI DES FRANCS (FR) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

RUSSIAN BILL (IRE) 5 Joseph Kirwan Noel Meade IRE

SAMBREMONT (FR) 5 Shanakiel Racing Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE

SCORPIANCER (IRE) 6 Bruton Street UK - II Rebecca Curtis

SEMPRE MEDICI (FR) 5 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE

SHANESHILL (IRE) 6 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE

SHANROE SANTOS (IRE) 6 James Summers Lucy Wadham

SHANTOU BOB (IRE) 7 Fallon, Shipp & Bolingbroke Warren Greatrex

SHANTOU FLYER (IRE) 5 S O'Neill Colin Bowe IRE

SMOOTH STEPPER 6 Sue Smith Sue Smith

SNOW FALCON (IRE) 5 Patricia Hunt Noel Meade IRE

TEA FOR TWO 6 Jane Williams & Len Jakeman Nick Williams

TELL US MORE (IRE) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE

THE LAST EURO (IRE) 5 Highclere T'Bred Racing - The Last Euro Emma Lavelle

THOMAS BROWN 6 The Corse Lawners Harry Fry

VALUE AT RISK 6 D M Huglin Dan Skelton

VYTA DU ROC (FR) 6 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson

WARRANTOR (IRE) 6 Sarah Drysdale Warren Greatrex

WILD ROVER (IRE) 6 The Wild Rover Partnership Rebecca Curtis

WINDSOR PARK (IRE) 6 Dr Ronan Lambe Dermot Weld IRE

WINTER WALK (IRE) 6 Diamond Racing Ltd Rebecca Curtis

WRATH OF TITANS (IRE) 6 Gigginstown House Stud Sandra Hughes IRE

ZEROESHADESOFGREY (IRE) 6 Mrs J K Buckle Neil King

97 entries

42 Irish-trained

Current betting: 6 Black Hercules, 10 No More Heroes, 12 Value At Risk, Blaklion, 14 Thomas Brown, Caracci Apache, 16 Martello Tower, Vyta Du Roc, Tell Us More, Out Sam, 20 bar.