Newbury’s Hennessy Gold Cup is Saturday’s steeplechase feature but that race contains only a couple of more Grade 1 winners than appear at Gowran where the top-flight novice hurdlers Bellshill and Don’t Touch It are set for a mouth-watering clash.
Both winners of topflight events at last April's Punchestown festival, they make their debuts over the bigger obstacles in a 2½ mile Beginners Chase which was won by the subsequent RSA hero Don Poli in 2014.
Bellshill is already as low as 10-1 third favourite to follow in those footsteps and at this trip at this time of the season he can confirm such a pecking order with Don’t Touch It.
Another Grade 1 Punchestown festival winner appearing is Zabana who goes in an intriguing conditions chase that also includes former high-class hurdler Kitten Rock.
He hasn't run in almost a year and while Zabana was well behind Sub Lieutenant on his first start of the current campaign earlier this month, he can show the benefit of that outing and possibly take Davy Russell to 40 winners for the season in Ireland.
Mark Walsh is currently one ahead of Russell on the jockeys' table and with Barry Geraghty at Newbury for the Hennessy mount on Regal Encore, Walsh has a number of promising Gowran rides for JP McManus.
They include the ex-French Canelie who was beaten on her Irish debut at Galway and faces a tough opponent now in Without Limites (sic).
