ALTIOR

9 yo b g (111-111)

High Chaparral - Monte Solaro

Mrs Patricia Pugh

Everything has gone very good so far with Altior. We came up with a different strategy for him this year, he has had a nice break since Ascot and he is coming into Cheltenham nice and fresh which will hopefully mean we can go on again with him after Cheltenham.

With him, we’re back in the Sprinter Sacre situation of people expecting him to win. Anything bar a really good performance won’t do. Lots of things can happen and while the odd horse may go to the Ryanair Chase instead of taking him on plenty will still run against him, including Min potentially who we know we can beat, but is a good horse.

I just hope things don’t go wrong in the Champion Chase as that is the race you really prepare him for all year.

ANGELS BREATH

5yo gr g (1-1)

Shantou - Mystic Masie

Walters plant hire & Ronnie Bartlett

I would like to get another run into Angels Breath. What I’d really want is just an ordinary novice hurdle with lots of runners so he can go out and learn something. You’re going to have a fast and furious Supreme and really all he has done so far is jump four hurdles in a six-runner race at Ascot. He will take his chance in the Supreme.

BRAIN POWER

11yo b g (UF2F-41)

Kalanisi - Blonde Ambition

Michael Buckley

He is going to run in the Champion Hurdle. He was very good at Cheltenham on his previous run. That is the way to ride him and he likes good ground. He is in great form and I would like to go for a racecourse gallop with him. I know the International was not one of the strongest renewals, but it was one of the better British races. Brain Power and Verdana Blue would be towards the top of the English pile.

Buveur D'Air will be aimed to emulate See You Then, who Henderson trained to win three Champion Hurdles Photo: Healy Racing

BUVEUR D’AIR

8yo b g (1111-121)

Crillon – History

J.P. McManus

I don’t think he was at his best in last year’s Champion Hurdle. He lived in a box next door to We Have A Dream who we discovered had a temperature on the Monday before Cheltenham. Buveur D’Air wasn’t impressive at all in the Champion Hurdle and the race took him apart –he is usually as tough as teak but we couldn’t even think about aiming him at Aintree. I think you have to take it that he had been affected by We Have A Dream having a temperature.

This season, I think with the two miles on fast ground at Kempton, we got caught out a little bit and Verdana Blue got a lovely run round in his slipstream and she has a serious turn of foot. Barry (Geraghty) said he was fantastic at Newcastle, while Sandown Park was great for him to get another victory – you have to keep working him so that is what we will do.

He will have to be better than he was last year as this year’s Champion Hurdle is a better renewal. I still think he is the one to beat.

CHAMP

7yo b g (12/2-111)

Kings Theatre - China Sky

J.P. McManus

He is probably one of my best chances of the week. You can guess where he got his name from, and in funny way, he is a bit like A.P. in that he is very professional and goes about his job well. He was very good at Newbury twice and he has plenty of experience.

Birchdale and Dickie Diver will probably go for the Albert Bartlett. Barry Geraghty doesn’t think that’s right, but I do. Birchdale is good and he did well to win the other day because he was very green at Cheltenham and I think he learnt enough there.

Champagne Platinum is another horse who could go for the Ballymore and Dickie Diver, who runs at Chepstow this weekend could go for the Albert Bartlett as we are trying to spread them around. I think our novice hurdlers are a particularly strong bunch.

Might Bite looks all set for his Gold Cup challenge. Photo Healy Racing

MIGHT BITE

10yo b g (1121-57)

Scorpion - Knotted Ridge

The Knot Again Syndicate

We have recauterised his palate. Two years ago, he had a hobday and when you do a hobday, you do a soft palate with it. You cannot redo a hobday, but the soft palate part very often needs to be redone.

A lot of horses have had the surgery done a few times – it can last about three runs and then you have to do it again.

We have freshened him up since Kempton and Nico (de Boinville) rode him on Saturday and thought he was in terrific form. If it was good ground in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, which it would need to be, then hopefully he would run well.

He did well last year on soft ground. They had a fantastic strip of ground at Cheltenham last year for the Gold Cup which had not been touched for nearly a year. He and Native River went round the whole way on that together. They never came off that ground until after jumping the last fence where the run-in was the wettest part of the track. He jumped the last fence and when he hit the softer ground, he just got tired.

I might have made a mistake last year by not running him after the King George and I might have done the same thing again last year, but I’ve had no option but to stop and start again following the flu outbreak.

I am not surprised that he is a 20/1 shot – he is entitled to be bearing in mind what he has achieved this year. He doesn’t know what price he is and we just have to get there as best we can.

OK CORRAL

9yo b g (12125-11)

Mahler - Acoola

J.P. McManus

He runs in the National Hunt Chase, although I must admit at Warwick it did not look as if he was desperate for it (three-mile listed chase). I’m sure Derek O’Connor will tell you he wants four miles!

He is an old horse (nine) to be going novice chasing, but he did look good at Warwick. He travelled so well and has the best man riding him in Derek and that is why he rode him at Warwick, because we had a plan.

OK Corral has created a consistent portfolio with some of his recent successes, but the National Hunt Chase has become a better race, so he will need to be on top of his game.

SANTINI

7yo b g (1131-13)

Milan - Tinagoodnight

Mr & Mrs R Kelvin-Hughes

I need to give him a racecourse gallop. I would like to get him to jump some fences if I can as another run would have done him the world of good, despite him having a lot of experience over hurdles.

I was very pleased with his run at Kempton and I tend to agree with the assumption that most people concluded which was that he was the horse to take out of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase and will be the one to beat in the RSA.

Cheltenham will suit him much better than Kempton, but that doesn’t mean he will reverse the form with Topofthegame. I would have loved to have run him in the Reynoldstown last weekend at Ascot as he really needed it. We will do plenty of schooling and away we go.

VERDANA BLUE

7yo b m (300-1141)

Getaway - Blue Gallery

Crimbourne Stud

She has been very unlucky with the equine flu outbreak as we wanted to run her in the Fast-Track Qualifier for the All-Weather Championships at Kempton last Saturday, but couldn’t because she needed to be vaccinated.

That would have been her prep run for Cheltenham and it would have also got her a run in the All-Weather Marathon at Lingfield Park on Good Friday if she had won, so that was really bad luck.

She will go straight to Cheltenham now, but decent ground is essential for her. We know Simon [Claisse, Clerk of the Course] would like to get the ground to be good to soft on the first day of The Festival. If it was any softer, then she would be a doubtful runner.