Gold Cup favourite Presenting Percy to go straight to Cheltenham

Presenting Percy will next month attempt to do what only Easter Hero has achieved by winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup without a run over fences in the same season.

In 1929 Easter Hero won the famous race off a preparation of four races over hurdles, all of which he won. Easter Hero is also the only Gold Cup winner to have had his prep race over hurdles – a situation that, by default, arises in the case of Presenting Percy after connections on Friday opted not to declare the Gold Cup favourite for Saturday's BetVictor Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse.

Presenting Percy is a best-priced 7-2 shot to emulate Easter Hero's feat of 90 years ago. He has missed a number of engagements over fences this season, mainly due to unsuitably dry ground, with the most recent case before the Bobbyjo being the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park last weekend.

He has not run over fences since landing the RSA Chase by seven lengths at last year's festival and ended up making his seasonal reappearance last month at Gowran Park, where he won the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle for the second consecutive year.

Trainer Pat Kelly, after walking the course at Fairyhouse on Thursday afternoon and discussing things with owner Philip Reynolds, decided not to follow up with a run in the Bobbyjo.

The ground at Fairyhouse on Friday was described as good, good to yielding in places, following selective watering of the course. Speaking on Friday afternoon, racecourse manager Peter Roe said: "We're on the easy side of good and we're expecting some rain in the morning."

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