Edwardstone tops competitive field for Sunday’s showpiece event
EDWARDSTONE heads 21 six-day confirmations for the £80,000 Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Sunday.
Edwardstone developed into a classy novice over hurdles last season and ended the campaign with a creditable sixth over the course and distance in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival.
The six-year-old is the 6/1 co favourite of four with Unibet alongside impressive Chepstow scorer Thyme White (Paul Nicholls), Proschema (Dan Skelton) and the prolific Main Fact (David Pipe), who has won his last eight starts under both codes.
Edwardstone’s trainer Alan King may also run last year’s winner Harambe, who if successful again would become the first two-time winner of the Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.
Unibet Champion Hurdle eighth Ballyandy (Nigel Twiston-davies) heads the weights on 11st 12lb. The consistent nine-year-old ran right up to his best on his comeback, finishing second in the Welsh Champion Hurdle limited handicap at Ffos Las last month.
At the other end of the weights, Jamie Snowden is expecting another improved performance from Pisgah Pike (10st 1lb). The unexposed fiveyear-old has looked a different proposition since undergoing wind surgery in May, notching up two wins and two seconds in as many starts.
Having been beaten a short head in the Listed Prelude Handicap Hurdle at Market Rasen in late September, Pisgah Pike returned to winning ways in a novices’ hurdle at Plumpton on 19 October. He is a 16/1 chance with Unibet.
Snowden said: “We gave Pisgah Pike a wind op over the summer and he has not looked back.
“He has won his two novice hurdles and in between was just touched off in a Listed handicap at Market Rasen, which arguably he probably should have won.
“Obviously, he has to take another step forward in a race such as the Greatwood, but he is at the right end of the weights and is still pretty unexposed off this mark [of 129].”
The confirmations also include Sebastopol (Tom Lacey), not seen out since landing the Scottish County Handicap Hurdle at Musselburgh in February, and Tegerek (Jonjo O’neill), who landed a conditional jockeys’ event comfortably at The Showcase last month.
There are two Irish-trained contenders still engaged - the 2019 Galway Hurdle victor Tudor City (Tony Martin) and bottom weight The Shunter (Emmet Mullins), who has won over hurdles and fences recently.
Meanwhile, Put The Kettle On is set to kick off her campaign in Sunday’s Shloer Chase.
Henry de Bromhead’s six-year-old posted a career-best effort when springing a 16-1 surprise in the Arkle at the Festival in March, adding to a previous success over two miles at Cheltenham’s Open meeting last year.
Put The Kettle On is again due to line up at the fixture, with the mare counting among seven entries for the Grade Two heat.
De Bromhead said: “She’s in great form and is due to go over to Cheltenham for the Shloer Chase. She seems to love it over there, so she’s going over there this weekend.
“She’s in mighty form, working well, so we’re looking forward to that.”
Sceau Royal, winner of Saturday’s Elite Hurdle for Alan King, could switch back to fences for the race, while the Philip Hobbs-trained Defi Du Seuil, who was a huge disappointment in the Champion Chase in the spring, is in line make his seasonal bow.
Rouge Vif was a winner at last month’s Showcase meeting and could return to Cheltenham for Harry Whittington, with Nigel Twiston-davies’ Ascot Chase hero Riders Onthe Storm, the Brian Ellison-trained Forest Bihan and 2019 Arkle winner Duc Des Genievres, who is now with Paul Nicholls, completing the possibles.