RACING: Bramblehill Duke can gain revenge on Horus in the Racecourse Of The Year Handicap Chase at Cheltenham tomorrow.
Venetia Williams' 10-year-old was a shade unlucky to go down by just over a length to Martin Pipe's runner at this course last time and meets the admittedly progressive winner on 3lb better terms.
Bramblehill Duke was still going really well three-out but was short of room on the inside rail.
Horus had flown, but Bramblehill Duke stayed on well and his conqueror did not have that much left in the tank at the line.
The runner-up revels in the mud, so ever-softening ground in the Cotswolds will also help to turn things in his favour.
Eternal Spring is another who goes well with plenty of give underfoot and is the pick in the Unicoin New Homes Spa Hurdle.
James Fanshawe's five-year-old loves a bit of cut underfoot and invariably goes well around Prestbury Park.
His last race was here in the Relkeel Hurdle over an extended two miles, five furlongs, a race which was run at a dawdling pace and played into the hands of Eternal Spring, who used his not inconsiderable Flat speed to outgun Classified by five lengths on the run-in.
And he jumped much better than on his last visit here, when he fell in the valuable handicap won in impressive fashion by Rooster Booster.
The son of Persian Bold was only three lengths behind Like-A-Butterfly in the Supreme Novices' at the Festival in March, and can take this step up to three miles in his stride to put himself firmly in the Stayers' Hurdle picture.
Pipe may be out of luck with Horus, but the stable can still notch a winner courtesy of Golden Alpha.
He racked up a sequence of wins in the summer before finding Arkle Trophy favourite Azertyuiop too hot here in November.
But he looked like bouncing back next time, again at Cheltenham, only to unseat Tony McCoy at the second-last when still three lengths to the good.
Jonjo O'Neill's team are in top form and the enigmatic Prokofiev can continue the run in the Tote Exacta Handicap Hurdle.
The four-year-old is smart on his day, as he demonstrated when drawing eight lengths clear of Jollie Bollie at Sandown three weeks ago.
