2021 Gold Cup hero Minella Indo adds some sparkle to Friday's Cheltenham card
Three high-class Irish raiders will add some stardust to Cheltenham's card on Friday after Minella Indo, Galvin and Fury Road were declared for the Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Chase (3.00).
They are among a field of 13 and it is a third go over the unique fences for the Gordon Elliott-trained Galvin, whose stablemate Fury Road will try them for the first time.
The pair have Grade 1 victories on their CVs, but those successes do not match the Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph Minella Indo famously recorded for Jack Kennedy and Henry de Bromhead in 2021.
Cheltenham's most valuable race on Friday is the £50,000 veterans' chase (2.25) and nine golden oldies line up for that, while the promising Kintail represents Nicky Henderson in the novice hurdle (12.05) that opens the card.
Five contests – the 1.15, 1.50, 2.25, 3.00 and 3.35 – will be live on ITV4 with the entire bill on Racing TV.
The going at Cheltenham, which also races on Saturday, was described on Wednesday morning as soft over hurdles and on the chase track, while it is soft, heavy in places on the cross-country circuit.
There is the possibility of a light shower on Wednesday but conditions are then set to be dry with temperatures remaining above freezing.
Friday's cross-country runners and riders
Minella IndoRachael Blackmore
GalvinKeith Donoghue
Fury Road Sam Ewing
GesskilleHenry Brooke
Enjoy D'AllenEoin Walsh
LatenightpassGina Andrews
Francky Du BerlaisSean Bowen
Diesel D'AllierBrendan Powell
Vital Island Tiernan Power Roche
FameafterthegloryJonathan Burke
Wick GreenBen Jones
Volcanorider tbc
Didero Vallis Charlie Deutsch
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