Unbeaten Quevega has wide appeal

The Willie Mullins-trained wondermare, unbeaten since May 2009, is likely to be a red-hot favourite to raise the roof at Prestbury Park on the opening day of the Festival.

Part of Quevega’s appeal is that she is raced so sparingly – she has only run twice for each of the last four seasons and nearly came to grief at Cheltenham last year before sprinting to the line under Ruby Walsh.

Her draw is such that Cheltenham have agreed to a revised running order so Quevega’s quest for immortality can be shown live on Channel Four racing.

Although the 10-year-old’s unbeaten stable companion Annie Power has been entered, she is expected to line up in either the Stan James Champion Hurdle or the Ladbrokes World Hurdle.

Malton trainer John Quinn’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle runner-up Cockney Sparrow appears the best of the British-trained mares. The five-year-old was last seen falling in a race won by Annie Power at Doncaster.

In other Festival news from across the Irish Sea, trainer Dessie Hughes is likely to run Lyreen Legend in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup rather than in the Ryanair Chase.

Second to Lord Windermere in the RSA Chase 12 months ago, he was expected to make up in to a viable Gold Cup contender this season. However, a minor problem delayed his comeback until the Lexus in December when the horse was a respectable fifth. Lyreen Legend then disappointed in the Irish Hennessy.

It had been mooted that Lyreen Legend could drop in trip for the Ryanair, but Hughes – who rode Davy Lad to Gold Cup glory in 1977 – is leaning in the opposite direction.

“I think we’re going to go for the Gold Cup,” said the County Kildare handler whose son, Richard, is the champion Flat jockey. “It looked like he got every yard of the trip in the RSA last year. Hopefully, better ground will help him.”

As for conditions at Prestbury Park, conditions have dried out – but clerk of the course Simon Claisse is bracing himself for another inch of rain over the next week or so.

“Over the last 10 days we’ve not had a great deal of rain,” he said. “It’s looking in great order. If I was assessing it today, I’d say it was officially soft on both courses.”

Meanwhile, Nigel Twiston-Davies has firmed up plans for a couple of Champion Hurdle contender The New One’s stablemates as the Cheltenham Festival approaches.

Splash Of Ginge, a surprise 33-1 winner of the competitive Betfair Hurdle for Twiston-Davies, is likely to run in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle which opens the meeting.

Double Ross, winner of the Stewart Family Thank You Gold Cup and a New Year’s Day handicap, will step up in class for the Grade One JLT Novices’ Chase.

n Tom Scudamore equalled his best tally for a National Hunt season as he notched his 85th win of the campaign aboard Vif Argent at Wincanton.

David Pipe’s stable jockey recorded his career-best last term but is on course to smash that total with two months of the season still to go.

With the likes of Dynaste, Kings Palace, Red Sherlock, The Liquidator and Un Temps Pour Tout to look forward to at Cheltenham, the rider will be seeking more headline-grabbing victories.

“That’s 85 which equals last season. It’s very exciting but there’s a lot of hard work to come over the next few weeks,” he said. “David Pipe is having a good year, David Bridgwater’s having a good season, he’s equalled his best total already too, and so is my brother, Michael. Jockeys are nothing without the horses we ride.”

Scudamore rode the JP McManus-owned Wyck Hill to victory in the Eider Chase at Newcastle and the 10-year-old will head for the Irish National if the chaser, trained by Bridgwater, fails to make the 40-runner cut for the Crabbie’s Grand National because of his low handicap mark.