RACING NEWS ROUNDUP: Marlborough will work on grass today as the Nicky Henderson-trained 10-year-old continues his preparation for the £300,000 sterling Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, it was revealed yesterday.
The Robert Ogden-owned gelding has not raced this season having missed an intended engagement in the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on St Stephen's due to a minor breathing operation.
But connections are hoping he will be fit enough to reappear in the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham later this month.
Marlborough is a general 14 to 1 shot for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Henderson also has former smart novice Lord Of The River, who has not raced since finishing a distant second to Looks Like Trouble in the Royal and SunAlliance Chase for Oliver Sherwood at the 1999 Cheltenham Festival, entered in chasing's blue riband event.
First Gold, who finished a disappointing fourth when bidding to repeat his 2000 victory in the King George VI Chase, has taken the Kempton race well and remains on course for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Francois Doumen-trained nine-year-old was sent off the well-backed 6 to 4 favourite for the St Stephen's Day highlight but began to struggle from the final bend and came home 32 lengths behind the winner Florida Pearl.
"He's in good form, there is absolutely no problem with him," Doumen said yesterday.
"He's had a bit of a rest because of all the frost we've had in France but anyway that's no problem - I like to give them a quiet time after a race.
"That race did a good deal for his preparation for Cheltenham. He will start his strong training again in the next 10 days but we haven't made a decision yet where he will run next."
JP McManus bought First Gold after his Kempton victory last year with the aim of winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup with the gelding, and he was hot favourite for the race until the intervention of foot-and-mouth disease.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is once again First Gold's main target and his training this time has been geared towards March 14th.
All the leading contenders feature among the 43 entries for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Frances Crowley's stable star Sackville heads the ante-post market for the race and is one of eight Irish-trained entries.
Another Irish star, Willie Mullins's Florida Pearl, who beat Henrietta Knight's Best Mate in the King George VI Chase, will bid to better his second in the 2000 renewal, and his third the previous year.
King George third Bacchanal, also trained by Henderson, provides further representation from the St Stephen's Day race.
Champion trainer Martin Pipe has yet to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and has six entries this time.
Cyfor Malta and the progressive Shooting Light look to represent Pipe's strongest chances.
Previous winners, the Paul Nicholls-trained See More Business (1999), and Noel Chance's Looks Like Trouble (2000), are entered once again.
Looks Like Trouble has been off the track since November 2000 but is set to return at Wincanton later this month.
A record 32 entries have been unveiled for the £220,000 Queen Mother Champion Chase on the second day of the Festival.
They include reigning champion, Knight's Edredon Bleu, and Philip Hobbs's Flagship Uberalles, impressive winner of the Tingle Creek Chase on his return to action at Sandown.
Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham's managing director, said: "The countdown to the 2002 National Hunt Festival gets under way with the announcement of the first entries - for the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup and Queen Mother Champion Chase.
"It's great to be back on the road towards what we hope will be a thrilling Festival.
"Prize money at the National Hunt Festival has for the first time topped £2 million, meaning that the average value per race is now over £100,000."
