'He's got gears, stays and jumps' - why Max McNeill can't wait for Cheltenham

Leading jumps owner Max McNeill is already counting down the days to a potential fantastic Friday at the Cheltenham Festival with two of the best horses he's had – The Worlds End and Tritonic – poised for big targets.

On Saturday, impressive Ascot winner Tritonic took a giant step closer to giving McNeill a much-desired first JCB Triumph Hurdle success and connections hope he will be joined by "team captain" The Worlds End on March 19, with the two-time Grade 1 winner being lined up for the St James's Place Challenge Cup Hunters' Chase.

"It's exciting, we're hoping to have some really good representation across the Friday," said McNeill. "There's a lot of time between the trials and then, but it looks like we could have a good team of horses.