Posh Trish and Grageelah Girl renew rivalry

Posh Trish, who got the race on the disqualification of Grageelah Girl at Aintree last month, meets that rival once again in an intriguing closing race at Cheltenham on Saturday, the Listed Experience The Theatre At The Festival Mares’ Flat Race (4.00).

Her trainer Paul Nicholls said: “This is a tougher race than the one she won last time but she has come on for that and is a good mare.”

Fergal O’Brien, trainer of Grageelah Girl, has been happy with his six-year-old in the build-up to this race, and revealed: “She's our best chance of a winner all weekend.”

Pineapple Rush may be the only runner in the 12-strong field to lack previous race experience, but Philip Hobbs is hoping for a bold show nonetheless.

Hobbs trained Pineapple Rush’s mother Celtic Native to finish third in the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot behind Baracouda in 2000, and said: “If she’s anything like as good as her mother we’ll be very pleased. I hope she’ll run very well.”

Presenting Pearl, a winner at Ludlow, last time, represents Jamie Snowden, who said: “She won very nicely at Ludlow. She's up against some decent mares now but she’s in terrific order.”

The Martin & Co Jewellers Intermediate Handicap Hurdle (3.30) looks a ferociously competitive event and it is possible to make cases for plenty of the 17 runners.

One who takes the eye off a mark of 131 is the David Pipe-trained Poker Play, now 2lb lower than when unplaced in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle in March.

There was plenty of talk before the festival of Poker Play being a likely type for that race, and the four-year-old could be one to follow this season.

Pipe said: “He is stepping up in trip from last year and would appreciate softer ground, but he has strengthened up through the summer and is a horse we like.”

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