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A worthy Trials day as British and Irish stars look to burnish festival claims
The markets will tell you the greatest density of clues for the Cheltenham Festival is to be found next weekend at Leopardstown. But when a single day's racing is set to showcase two of the first four in the betting for the Gold Cup, the reigning Champion Chaser taking on last season's Arkle hero, and a former winner of the Stayers' Hurdle, you know that Trials day – all nine races – will more than live up to its billing.
As the Racing Post's betting editor Keith Melrose points out elsewhere, this is the highest quality running of the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase (2.25) in a long time, with Protektorat arriving back at Prestbury Park after a ratings performance last matched by a runner in this race 26 years ago.
Last year's Boodles Gold Cup third and this season's Betfair Chase hero, Protektorat might well have been odds-on for this, even allowing for the presence of one of last season's best staying novices in Ahoy Senor and Cheltenham specialist Frodon.
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