Queen in hunt for a Festival winner with Forth Bridge

THE QUEEN is set to have her first Cheltenham Festival runner since 2012 when Forth Bridge races in the Triumph Hurdle or Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. The Charlie Longsdon-trained gelding has had his handicap rating raised a stone after claiming his second hurdle victory of the season at Musselburgh on Sunday. Longsdon (below) said: ‘We will have a look at both races and, in particular, see what the Fred Winter looks like. If he ended up carrying a big weight in that we might look at the Triumph. ‘It is a nice problem to have and, whichever race we choose, he will relish the stiffer stamina test. He is not a quick horse. I’ve always thought he wanted two-and-a-half miles.’ The four-year-old is an unusual jumps candidate as his sire is Bernadini, an American thoroughbred who won the 2006 Preakness Stakes and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Forth Bridge was trained by Michael Bell on the Flat. His one defeat in three runs over jumps came on his hurdling debut at Wetherby in November when beaten a neck by Coeur De Lion. Longsdon said: ‘Forth Bridge idled in front that day. I wonder whether he should have won but he got caught on the line and did not have a chance to respond.’ The Queen’s last runner at the Festival was the Nicky Henderson-trained Barbers Shop, who finished 14th in the 2012 Foxhunters’ Chase. The horse ran four times at the Festival, finishing second in the 2008 Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase and seventh to Kauto Star in the 2009 Gold Cup. Two leading candidates for next month’s Festival run today, novice hurdler Messire Des Obeaux at Huntingdon and RSA Chase hope Might Bite at Doncaster.