TODAY'S PREVIEW: APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH for a unique Cheltenham occasion there could be a unique festival achievement in the offing for today's Ladbrokes World Hurdle as Inglis Drever will be hugely fancied to become the first horse to win the "stayers" crown three times.
Almost equally appropriate will be the fact that the top-rated hurdler in these islands will have to fight for the limelight with the rescheduled Champion Chase and the three other races transferred from yesterday.
This is a championship division that has always had to fight for plaudits against the more glamorous Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup. But when it comes to fight, there have been few better exponents of that basic requirement for winning at the marathon three-mile trip than Inglis Drever.
He is among a select quartet that have managed to win the race twice, along with Crimson Embers (1982-86), Galmoy (1987-88) and Baracouda (2002-03), and any pre-festival fears that a bad batch of hay at Howard Johnson's yard had contaminated his chances of adding to 2005 and last year were largely banished by that Arkle victory for his stable companion Tidal Bay on Tuesday.
Another comforting thought is that Inglis Drever comes here in the form of his life.
Last year a Cleeve Hurdle warm-up in January resulted in a defeat by Blazing Bailey. This season there was an authority to his dismissal of the same opponent in the same race that was undeniably impressive.
All the usual Inglis Drever attributes of stamina and grit when it counts were in evidence as well as the almost inevitable flat spot that he hits during a race. And it is that habit that just might cause his supporters some concern today. Normally the race is run on the New Course where the long stretch from the second last to the last allows Inglis Drever to slowly get into overdrive without the others getting away from him.
However, the transfer to the Old Course puts a different slant on things.
It's a tighter track that is more on the turn and doesn't appear to put as much of a stress on raw stamina.
Considering that is Inglis Drever's strong-point, there may just be a chink of light for his 16 opponents.
A total of five Irish hopes are scheduled to appear among them and this is a race that the raiders have won on nine occasions.
Never though has there been an Irish hope with the Cheltenham CV that Hardy Eustace boasts. Yesterday's dramatic re-scheduling means that the former dual-Champion Hurdler is back on the Old Course he loves and a victory for him and jockey Conor O'Dwyer, riding at his last festival, would bring the house down more than any wind.
Hardy Eustace has defied doubts so many times around this place that only the foolhardy will dismiss his chances of a fourth festival victory.
But ground that has been pounded by rain and wind this week could end up being just plain gluey by this afternoon which will make the race even more of a slog.
That will be good news for another Irish hope, Kazal, and maybe also for the 2006 winner My Way De Solzen whose stamina is proven and who represents half of a strong double challenge from the all-conquering Alan King yard.
Kasbah Bliss, representing Baracouda's trainer Francois Doumen, adds an intriguing French element to the contest and Wichita Lineman will be running on when most others have put up the white flag.
But on a topsy-turvy day, Inglis Drever could end up being a reassuring presence in the World Hurdle winners enclosure.
TONY SWEENEY'S THREE TO FOLLOW
1-40: AMBOBO (each way).
With only a small stable to play with Martin Brassil has proved himself up to the big occasion winning an Irish Grand National with Numbersixvalverde. He should now go very close to putting himself amongst the Cheltenham winners with an enticing ex-French horse Ambobo who has won more races over jumps than he has lost and who is a course winner over hurdles.
2-55: MOSSBANK (N.B.).
If Michael O'Leary was to pick one race that he would like to win at Cheltenham more than any other, it would have to be the Ryanair Chase and yet I think the decision to sidestep tomorrow's Gold Cup was animated more by the belief that the shorter trip would suit him better than the actual sponsorship. I was surprised to see money coming for him rather his more celeb stablemate Beef Or Salmon in the Lexus Chase at Christmas but it was clearly inspired as he emerged second best to Denman.
3-30: INGLIS DREVER (NAP).
Aided and abetted by their newest Irish stable jockey Denis O'Regan, the Howard Johnson stable put recent poor form behind it when Tidal Bay emerged an emphatic winner of Tuesday's Arkle Trophy and on the balance of his form their three time course and distance winner Inglis Driver would look solid nap material to repeat his victory of 12 months ago.
