Thursday 8 March 2018 13:20, UK
Ante-post favourite Presenting Percy tops a list of 22 horses still in contention for the RSA Insurance Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival next Wednesday.
Trained by Pat Kelly, Presenting Percy won the Pertemps Final over hurdles at the meeting last year and was last seen chasing home Gold Cup hope Our Duke over fences at Gowran in February.
The seven-year-old is one of 13 possible Irish runners, with Monalee also prominent in the ante-post market for the Henry de Bromhead team.
Willie Mullins has eight to pick from at this stage, including Al Boum Photo and Invitation Only, while Gordon Elliott has just Dounikos and Shattered Love in the mix.
Noel Meade's Snow Falcon is the other possible Irish-trained contender.
Paul Nicholls' runner Black Corton is the shortest-priced contender from the home defence, with Colin Tizzard's Elegant Escape another name of note.
Alan King has left in Mia's Storm but she could bypass the race in favour of the Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree on April 13.
King said: "I will walk the course on Sunday and see what it is like. If it is worse than good to soft she won't run. If she doesn't run she will go straight to the three-mile-one Grade One novice chase at Aintree.
"She is very ground dependant. She is very good but she does need good ground as we saw at Kempton when she could hardly pick her feet up.
"She is ready to run and if she does go to Cheltenham it will be the RSA or nothing."
