Trip persuades Bailey to target Charbel at rematch with Altior

Kim Bailey is not running scared of Altior, the trainer revealing that Charbel is set to contest the Racing Post Arkle Chase at Cheltenham, rather than step up in trip for the JLT Novices’ Chase.

Charbel was no match for red-hot Arkle favourite Altior at Sandown in December, but Bailey is keen to give him another shot over a more familiar trip.

He said: "David Bass rode Charbel in Lambourn [on Friday] and was delighted with how he worked. We have decided to head for the Arkle Chase to take on Altior.

"My thought is that he loves two miles. He's never been further, and although we had hoped to run him over further in February, due to our well-documented coughing we've missed all those options.

"So what we don't know is will he get the extra trip. Now is not the time to experiment, especially with rain around and the likelihood of softer ground for festival week."

The finishing touches

With Cheltenham looming, racegoers who attend Leopardstown on Sunday will get an opportunity to see a number of top trainers put the finishing touches on their festival teams by working them after racing.

Willie Mullins said in his Racing Post column on Saturday that he intends to put most of his top novices through their paces, including JLT favourite Yorkhill.

Leopardstown racecourse manager Pat Keogh revealed on Saturday that racegoers will benefit from commentary on the gallops.

He said: “Kevin O’Ryan will commentate. We expect up to 40 to 50 horses to work, though it’s not all about the action on the track after racing as we've a pretty exciting card to look forward to as well.”

Racing Post Arkle Chase entries