RACING NEWS: Polar Red was yesterday morning bouncing and bang on course for Cheltenham on Thursday after his thrilling victory in Saturday's Sunderlands Imperial Cup at Sandown.
A £60,000 bonus awaits connections of Polar Red if he can land Thursday's Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle, the closing event of the 2002 Festival.
Champion trainer Martin Pipe said yesterday: "Polar Red has come out of the Imperial Cup fine and I'm very pleased with him. He's eaten up and there are no problems.
"We said in the papers that the idea was to win by a head and then go to Cheltenham with a 7lb penalty, and that is what is going to happen after he did exactly what we predicted!"
Before Saturday's success, which saw the Sir Stanley Clarke-owned five-year-old deny Impek by a head in a driving finish, Polar Red was in the County with 10st 4lb.
Pipe continued: "The weights will go up 3lb and with a 7lb penalty that means Polar Red will carry 11st.
"Let's hope he can land the double - we've done it with Blowing Wind and Olympian and we want the hat-trick for Sir Stanley."
Conditional jockey Vinnie Keane has retained the plum ride on Queen Mother Champion Chase hope Latalomne.
Keane has ridden Latalomne in his last four starts but connections had been considering getting a more experienced rider for the big race.
However, trainer Brian Ellison said: "Vinnie rides." Ellison also runs Batswing in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase on the final afternoon.
"We don't know about a jockey for Batswing yet. Vinnie was going to ride but he can't do the weight - we'll have to see what the weights do."
There are 41 horses still in the Grand Annual which carries a safety limit of 24 and Batswing is currently out of the handicap.
Best Mate's chance in the Gold Cup is high after trainer Henrietta Knight's husband Terry Biddlecombe walked the course at Cheltenham yesterday.
Biddlecombe said afterwards: "Best Mate is very, very well and he will love the decent ground out there.
"I have every reason to believe he'll stay the Gold Cup trip all right as he'll be ridden by Jim (Culloty) who gets on so well with him.
"I think he's the one they have all got to beat as he was staying on nicely in the King George behind Florida Pearl and they might have gone a bit too fast for him early on that day. He'll do for me in any case."
Of the stable's other big race entries, Biddlecombe said of Edredon Bleu, who is favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, "He's very well in himself and should go well.
"But I think he'll get a run for his money from Flagship Uberalles as he beat us at Sandown and looks to have been trained for this race, but then so have we."
However, unless the much forecast rain arrives at Prestbury Park, Biddlecombe fears the drying conditions could be against Foly Pleasant, who is set to shoulder top weight in the Mildmay Of Flete Handicap Chase.
