CHELTENHAM NEWS:CHAMPION TRAINER Willie Mullins will attempt a rare Cheltenham hat-trick with the hottest favourite of the entire festival, Quevega, in two weeks time but Co Wicklow-based Prunella Dobbs is set to battle the odds with her own stable star, Our Girl Salley.
Unlike the hugely powerful Mullins team, Dobbs trains no more than 10 horses at her base near Wicklow town and Our Girl Salley will be her sole representative at National Hunt racing’s greatest festival in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle.
Our Girl Salley is unbeaten in her last five starts, including three this season, and is rated one of the principal dangers to Quevega by bookmakers, one of which, Ladbrokes, make the favourite an odds on 4 to 5 shot.
Quevega has won both renewals of the David Nicholson race to date, and by wide margins in the process, despite last year not having run for 10 months beforehand.
The Mullins star hasn’t been seen this time since last year’s Punchestown Festival when she was a Grade One winner but as expected Quevega features among the 26 entries left in the Nicholson after yesterday’s forfeit stage.
Dobbs has also left Our Girl Salley in the Neptune Investments Novices’ Hurdle but indicated yesterday that she will be left to compete against her own sex over two and a half miles.
“We will probably run in the mares race even though the opposition will be fierce. Quevega has won two years in a row and you couldn’t not fancy her. But no horse is invincible,” Dobbs said yesterday.
Barry Geraghty has been on board Our Girl Salley on all three of her wins this campaign, including when she overcame an interrupted preparation due to snow to win at Leopardstown over Christmas. “I don’t know yet if Barry will be available but we’ll be happy if he is,” Dobbs reported.
“We have had a clear run with her so we’re optimistic. We know she goes on testing ground and she has never actually run on good ground. But we believe it will be beneficial if it turns up good,” added Dobbs.
The last three Cheltenham Festival races to declare entries were filled yesterday with both the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and the Foxhunters also attracting strong fields of possible runners.
Willie Mullins has won the bumper a record six times and is responsible for seven of the 18 Irish-trained entries among a total of 59.
The ante-post favourites, Knights Pass, Keys, Ericht and Cheltenian, all remain in contention to run.
On The Fringe is one of 11 Irish hopefuls still left in the Foxhunters. Also included is last year’s winner Baby Run and the Scottish Grand National runner-up Gone To Lunch.
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