DARRAGH O’Keeffe boasts a strong quartet of rides at Cheltenham today, a meeting where he landed the £100,000 feature 12 months ago. He and Henry de Bromhead aim to land back-to-back runnings of the William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Chase at 2.20, with last year’s runner-up, The Short Go, returning to go one better.

“I think he’s a good, solid chance,” O’Keeffe reflected ahead of the £100,000 contest. “Last year, he was second to Senior Chief, who ran so well in the Aintree National (finished sixth). He was probably a bit unlucky on the day to meet Senior Chief, and I think we pulled 11 lengths clear of the third. I think if he gets a bit of luck in running and gets into a nice rhythm, he’ll run a good race.”

Anyway is another horse who’s been unlucky regarding the competition he’s faced, having chased home Caldwell Potter in the Golden Miller in March. Sent off 125/1 that day, Ken Budds’ charge produced a career-best effort under O’Keeffe, who is optimistic ahead of the William Hill Extra Places With Bog ‘Chasing Excellence’ Novices’ Chase.

“He ran really well into Kerry National, maybe the ground deteriorated a bit on him on the day,” the rider reported. “He ran so well here at the Festival and, off his mark of 141 in England, hopefully he sets the standard.”

The Kerry National, in which Anyway finished eighth, was the seven-year-old’s first attempt at three miles, though he had previously won a handicap hurdle over two miles and six and a half furlongs. Listowel marked Anyway’s first start since late July, as it did for Gordon Elliott’s representative Pied Piper, who since placed in a Grade 3 novice chase at Tipperary.

Another of today’s Irish raiders in the three-mile-and-one-furlong test, the John McConnell-trained Intense Approach, has the benefit of two three-mile wins to his name. The six-year-old is less experienced over fences, however, with a beginners chase in August his sole start over fences, albeit it was a winning one.

Optimistic

O’Keeffe isn’t worried about Zurich stepping up to two and a half miles in the opening William Hill Each Way Extra Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, and Henry de Bromhead obviously shares his view, having tried the Doctor Dino gelding over just short of three miles in March.

“I think the trip will be okay for him,” the rider said of Pimlico Racing’s six-year-old. “He would have probably been unlucky not to win in Killarney; the horse that won the race kind of brought him across the track, so he definitely deserved to get the race.”

Zurich was awarded the race in question, a handicap chase at Killarney earlier this month, where he and the demoted horse finished 14 lengths clear of the third. O’Keeffe continued: “It was his first run of the year, under plenty of weight. He seems like he’s come on from the run and has been in good form at home.”

Another to have returned on an upward curve is stablemate Quantum Quest, who is one of 18 declared for the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle. The Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned five-year-old got off the mark at Kilbeggan in August and followed up last month at Roscommon, where the first two drew 18 lengths clear of the remainder.

O’Keeffe commented: “He won nicely in Roscommon; he just got there on the run up to the line. He’s had a couple of runs under his belt now and comes in good form.”

Half of the 18-runner field for the three-mile contest are trained in Ireland. Ian Donoghue and Willie Mullins each have a runner, while Emmet Mullins, Gordon Elliott and John McConnell have each declared two.

They include Elliott’s Winning Smut, who bids to overcome an 11lb hike following his win in a listed handicap hurdle at the Galway Festival. Closutton’s Chart Topper reopposes, having been put up 7lb for his third-place effort.