Captain Chris in field of nine for Argento Chase

CAPTAIN CHRIS, Diamond Harry and Time For Rupert will have the chance to press their Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup claims after they were declared on Friday in a field of nine for the £100,000 for the Argento Chase at Cheltenham.

Midnight Chaseand Tidal Bay, last year's Gold Cup fifth and sixth, are also set to line up in the trial, which as expected does not feature leading staying novice chaser Grands Crus.

The star draw of the track's festival trials day will be Big Buck's, who will bid for a 15th victory in a row in the Rewards4Racing Cleeve Hurdle.

He is one of six declared for the race for which Willie Mullins is sendingover Mourad, who was beaten four and a half lengths when third to Big Buck's in last year's Ladbrokes World Hurdle.

The day kicks off with an informative JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial which will feature a clash between two of the favourites for the Triumph Hurdle, Baby Mix and Grumeti.

Sadler's Risk, the other horse sharing the head of the market, was not among the six confirmations and Hinterland has been declared instead in the day's closing handicap hurdle.