Alan King confident Edwardstone can end his Cheltenham Festival wait

The eight-year-old has been victorious in his past four races, taking a novice chase before stepping into graded company to claim a top-calibre trio of titles in Sandown’s Grade One Henry VIII Chase, Kempton’s Wayward Lad and, most recently, Warwick’s Kingmaker Chase – a reliable barometer for Cheltenham.

Edwardstone is perhaps King’s best hope of a first Festival winner since Uxizandre took the Ryanair Chase in 2015 – and is also one of Britain’s best chances of challenging Irish jump racing’s recent dominance.

“Edwardstone has done everything right really,” said King, who is now one of the pre-eminent dual-purpose trainers thanks to his Group One exploits on the Flat with the Hollie Doyle-ridden Trueshan.

“He is a horse that has been a long time in the making, we’ve always thought the world of him. Surprisingly, he didn’t win his bumper but if you look back on his Warwick form, my goodness we didn’t half bump into some horses there (Shan Blue, Chantry House).”

Edwardstone, the mount of Tom Cannon, was campaigned in a string of large-field handicap hurdles last season and King still feels the experience helped shape him into the prolific novice chaser he has become.

“Over hurdles he was always a little bit keen and he did a bit too much,” he said. “I think running him in those top handicap hurdles last season was probably the making of him. He was placed in the Betfair Hurdle, was fifth in a County Hurdle and was placed at Aintree. I think it just made a man of him.

“He is now relaxing much better which is probably a combination of what those races and a fence have done. I think we are now seeing him fulfil the potential we always thought he had.”

King runs one of the leading dual-purpose operations in racing, but his Festival dry spell coming to an end would still rank highly. “Edwardstone winning the Arkle would be right up there as it would get me off that cold list at the Festival,” he said. “I’m fine at the moment, but I’m sure as it gets closer the nerves will really kick in. That is what you do the job for.”

Meanwhile, Michael Scudamore is bidding for more Eider Chase success as Court Master prepares to take his chance in the Newcastle staying contest.

Scudamore is hopeful that course specialist Court Master’s stamina will come to the fore. “He won nicely last time, he’s got form up to three miles and three-two, this is going to be another stretch from that but he gives every indication that he’s going to stay,” he said. “The drying ground should really help his chance.”

Court Master runs in the orange and black silks of Lynne Maclennan, the same owner as Mysteree who took the race for Scudamore in 2017 before finishing second by a neck in 2019. “The colours have been lucky for us in this race, so hopefully lightning can strike again,” said the trainer whose father, Peter, was the eight-times champion jockey.

Yorkshire hopes in the four mile-plus marathon rest with the Mark Walford-trained Cash For Ash as Ryedale jockey Jamie Hamilton returns from injury.

The gelding has finished second in his four most recent starts – but has still risen to a career-high rating of 125 and will carry 10st 7lb around Newcastle.

“I’ve had this race in mind for a little while, he’s been in really good form at home, the ground’s suitable and we know he stays well,” said Walford.

“It’s a lot better race than he has been in, but we’re hoping he might run into a place. I think he has improved and there’s maybe a touch more improvement in him as well.”