Irish handler Eddie Harty is sending over Dalmatia for the £30,000 OLBG Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (3.35pm, 19 entries) at Cheltenham on the second day of The International, Saturday, December 10.
The 2m 4f contest was run for the first time in 2015 and went the way of the Anthony Honeyball-trained Lily Waugh, who subsequently finished second in the G2 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at Doncaster in January.
This is the third of seven races in the OLBG-sponsored series of mares’ races that culminates with the G1 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at The Festival in March.
Dalmatia (10st 8lb) was just touched off by high-class hurdler Rashaan in a 14-furlong Flat race at Gowran Park in August and comes into the weekend on the back of a front-running success in a two-mile handicap hurdle at Punchestown on November 20.
Harty said today: “Dalmatia is in good form and the plan is to run on Saturday. It is a nice race and worth a few quid, so we feel it is worth coming over for.
“She is a few pounds higher in England and will be stepping up in distance but if she can reproduce her Punchestown performance, she should be in the mix.
“She wore a tongue strap at Punchestown but I don’t think that made too much difference. She can be quite keen in her races and it is important to get her to settle.”
The weights for the OLBG Mares’ Handicap Hurdle are headed by Rons Dream (Peter Bowen, 11st 12lb) who finished second on her return in a Listed mares’ hurdle at Kempton Park on November 21.
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has two entries in Lifeboat Mona (11st 5lb) and Jessber’s Dream (11st 4lb), who was runner-up in a G1 mares’ contest at Fairyhouse in April when trained by Harry Fry.
Other interesting contenders include Newbury Listed scorer Briery Queen (Noel Williams, 10st 11lb) and the Alan King-trained pair of Midnight Tour (11st) and Mia’s Storm (10st 6lb).
Cheltenham’s seven-race programme on Saturday is headlined by the £130,000 StanJames.com International Hurdle (3.00pm, 10 entries) and the £100,000 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup (1.50pm, 19 confirmations).
Taquin Du Seuil (Jonjo O’Neill) and Village Vic (Philip Hobbs), first and second in the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham last month, are set for an intriguing rematch in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup, while Stan James Champion Hurdle runner-up My Tent Or Yours (Nicky Henderson) tops the betting for the StanJames.com International Hurdle.
StanJames.com International Hurdle – Stan James prices: 13/8 My Tent Or Yours; 7/2 The New One; 4/1 Mister Miyagi; 5/1 Yanworth; 6/1 Ivan Grozny; 8/1 Old Guard; 16/1 Hargam; 33/1 Court Minstrel; 40/1 Labaik, Melodic Rendezvous
EW: 1/5 1, 2, 3
There is also a seven-race card on day one of The International, Friday, December 9, featuring the £45,000 Grade Three Unicoin Group Handicap Chase (1.30pm, 27 entries) over three and a quarter miles and the £35,000 Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (2.05pm, 16 entries).