Another step on the road to Cheltenham

PANDORAMA will put his "Cheltenham banker" credentials on the line on Sunday when he attempts to land the Grade One feature at…

PANDORAMA will put his "Cheltenham banker" credentials on the line on Sunday when he attempts to land the Grade One feature at Navan.

Just four entries remain in the Barry and Sandra Kelly Memorial Hurdle, and they include Pandorama's stable companion Donnas Palm, who was runner-up to Hurricane Fly in the Royal Bond on his last start.

However, most attention will focus on Pandorama, who grabbed plenty of headlines after his last start over the Navan course and distance with a 12-length win that propelled him to the top of the betting for the Ballymore Properties Novice Hurdle in March.

"It was always the plan to run Pandorama in this race. I don't know yet about the other horse," trainer Noel Meade said yesterday.

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Donnas Palm also holds an entry in the four-year-old conditions hurdle on the same card, as does the Willie Mullins-trained Mikael D'Haguent.

However, the latter will take up his Grade One option, as Mullins said yesterday: "He's in at Cork too, but with only a few runners in the big race he will probably run there."

The only other entry for the two-and-a-half-mile event is Paul Nolan's Aura About You.

Eight entries remain in the Grade Two Giltspur Scientific Hurdle, headed by another Meade horse, Aitmatov. Also among the list of hopefuls is the Mullins' Shakervilz and the former Grade One-winning novice Clopf.

Sunday's feature at Cork will be the O'Connell Logistics Hilly Way Chase which has 16 hopefuls, including the former champion chaser Newmill, who missed yesterday's Durkan Chase due to the ground conditions at Punchestown.

Another star performer on show will be last season's leading novice chaser Pomme Tiepy, who continues her stint over the small obstacles in the three-mile novice hurdle.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column