Reigning champion Marine Nationale, Il Etait Temps and Christmas Hurdle winner Sir Gino feature in 24 entries for the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Marine Nationale, owned and trained by Barry Connell, was a decisive winner last season and followed up in equally impressive fashion at Punchestown. He was a somewhat unlucky loser when he returned to action at Christmasm when a mistake almost sidelined him.
Il Etait Temps will be looking to break his Cheltenham duck after finishing fifth in the 2022 Triumph Hurdle, fifth in the 2023 Supreme and third in the 2024 Arkle.
He is unbeaten in five matches since the Arkle defeat, beating Jonbon at Sandown at the end of last season and at Tingle Creek last month.
Stalwart Nicky Henderson is another who is yet to win at the festival, finishing second in the Supreme, Arkle and last year’s Champion Chase, but it is the entry of his stablemate Sir Gino that stands out, although Henderson has declared he is heading for the Champion Hurdle route.
Willie Mullins’ Energumene and Henry de Bromhead’s Captain Guineas are previous winners trying to regain the title, while Majborough also has an option on Mullins.
Dan Skelton’s L’Eau Du Sud and Thistle Ask, Joseph O’Brien’s Solness and the upstart Irish Panther are all here.
The Ryanair Chase gives several a second option and the likes of Gray Dawning, Banbridge, Champ Kiely, Gaelic Warrior, Handstands, Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man have all been given an entry in addition to the Gold Cup.
However, last year’s winner Fact To File only has Ryanair as an option.
Skelton’s rapid improver Panic Attack has been added, as has Gordon Elliott’s Grade One-winning newcomer Romeo Coolio.
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