If his recovery goes to plan, Tiger Roll will return to action in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan in February - a race he won last year - before bidding for a fifth Cheltenham Festival victory.

The seven-year-old, who won the Grade One Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, runs for the first time this season in the Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Friday.

The Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old had to dig deep under jockey Mark Walsh to peg back free-running second-placed Captain Guiness but came through to win by three-quarters of a length.

Thyme Hill completed his hat-trick in the Grade One Challow Novices' Hurdle late last month and is set to head straight to the showpiece meeting in the Cotswolds.

Model Frankie Herbert, 24, is the granddaughter of Lord 'Porchie' Porchester, the 7th Earl of Carnarvon and a lifelong friend of the Queen. She is the glamorous face of the Cheltenham Festival.

Santini heads the nine entries for the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday but fellow entry Delta Work looks unlikely to line up.

Connections of Douvan remain hopeful of getting the classy two-miler to the Cheltenham Festival for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Aidan Coleman is looking forward to being reunited with Paisley Park in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Irish trainer Willie Mullins says Benie Des Dieux might be the best mare he has trained after she romped home in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park.

Zara, 38, donned a navy coat, with a Jockey Club brooch, and a grey fedora hat for the Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham Racecourse. The mother-of-two is a regular visitor to the racecourse.

Brian Hughes continued to build what he hopes will be an unassailable lead in the jump jockeys title race as a 49-1 treble at Carlisle took him 13 winners clear (124-111) of champion Richard Johnson.

Henderson committed Shishkin to the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on the opening day of next month's Cheltenham Festival after he brushed aside proven performers on Thursday.

Trainer Willie Mullins suffered a triple blow on Friday when he had to rule Saldier, Douvan and Klassical Dream out of next month's Cheltenham Festival.

A new guarantee that the Tote win dividends will at least match starting-price returns will be a 'game changer' for pool betting in this country, it has been claimed.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has admitted his preference would be to direct in-form Cyrname straight to the Grade One Melling Chase at Aintree's Grand National meeting in April.

The chances of Tiger Roll attempting to win an historic third consecutive Randox Health Grand National at Aintree in April continued to hang in the balance on Tuesday night.

Solo is 3-1 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle after sweeping to a 13-length demolition job from Fujimoto Flyer in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton for trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Harry Cobden.

Nigel Twiston-Davies hopes Ballyandy can continue his revival by getting the victory former stable star The New One could not manage in his attempts at the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

The killer coronavirus outbreak across the globe has lead to a host of sporting events being cancelled, postponed or placed in serious doubt with the Six Nations among impacted events.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls views both Politologue and Dynamite Dollars as lively outsiders for the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at next month's Cheltenham Festival.

Popular chaser Un De Sceaux has been retired after sustaining a career-ending injury. The Willie Mullins-trained 12-year-old was found to have a ligament injury after working on Thursday.

Popular chaser Un De Sceaux has been retired after sustaining a ligament injury.

Trainer David Pipe is eyeing potential Cheltenham Festival targets for Brinkley after the five-year-old gelding produced an eye-catching performance in landing the West Berkshire Mencap.

Joe Tizzard is confident forgotten horse Lostintranslation can sneak in under the radar and bounce back to his best in the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday week.

In the first of a look at the big races, SAM TURNER (Robin Goodfellow) starts by looking at some race trends for races on day one and highlights some of the main contenders.

Henry De Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle had been as short as 4-1 to add the Champion Hurdle to her success in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown last month.

Though Minella Rocco may not be the force of old, he has demonstrated with wins at Warwick and most recently at Wetherby he has the potential for one more big effort at Cheltenham.

The Nicky Henderson-trained 10-year-old, who is chasing his fifth Festival win, was among the 11 runners left in the £400,000 race at the penultimate declaration.

SAM TURNER (Robin Goodfellow) continues his analysis of next week's meeting with a look at the big-race contenders and trends for day two.

SAM TURNER (Robin Goodfellow) continues his look at the big race trends and contenders at next week's meeting with a looks at the contenders for day three.

We are less than a week away from the start of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. In the final part of his preview, SAM TURNER takes a look at the big-race trends and contenders for day four.  

EXCLUSIVE BY MARCUS TOWNEND: Jonjo O'Neill Jnr says he wants to win more races than his father, who rode 901 winners during his career between 1969 and 1987.

This week will be big for Paul Townend. But whatever is thrown at him, the new No1 jockey for trainer Willie Mullins is confident he will take it in his stride.

Dual winner Altior's run in Wednesday's Queen Mother Champion Chase is in doubt after he was lame on Sunday morning. Trainer Nicky Henderson said he will do all he can to get Altior to the race.

INTERVIEW BY MARCUS TOWNEND: The days when Knight had winners at the Cheltenham Festival are history but that doesn't mean she won't have a huge influence on the biggest jumps meeting

The latest case of coronavirus, the third in Gloucestershire, was diagnosed over the weekend and then announced hours before the start of the four-day fixture Festival.

As the coronavirus epidemic continues to take its toll around the world, more and more sporting events are either in doubt, postponed or cancelled altogether as a result.

Ruby Walsh is content. Happy he is going to the Cheltenham Festival and comfortable his contribution will be only from behind a microphone.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES: ITV are in danger of losing the live rights to televise horse racing as the broadcaster are refusing to guarantee will be shown on their main channel.

Horse racing fans from across the UK will have their eyes on the Cheltenham Festival as the hotly-anticipated four-day meet kicks off today. Here, some of the famous faces you might see.

Racing experts Robin Goodfellow, Peter Scudamore, Jane Mangan and Ken Pitterson share their top tips for day one of the Cheltenham Festival featuring the Champion Hurdle.

We have our first winner at this year's Cheltenham Festival following the conclusion of the curtain-raiser in the shape of the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

The maths whizz made sure her wardrobe added up by tastefully teaming a skintight black jumpsuit with a camel coat on day one of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival.

Prolific mare Put The Kettle On showed the boys the way home in the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy.

Zara Tindall, 38, posed for photos with close friend Dolly Maude as she made her way inside Cheltenham Racecourse for the start of the four-day meet.

Imperial Aura saw off a good challenge from Galvin to win the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase.

Honeysuckle got the better of Benie Des Dieux in an titanic tussle for the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham. The horse ridden by Rachel Blackmore won by half a length to the favourite.

Ravenhill held off the challenge of Lord Du Mesnil in the final straight to win National Hunt Challenge Cup on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival.

The reality star, 30, oozed sophistication in the look which she teamed with a matching pearl-studded fascinator as she arrived for the first day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday.

It's hard to believe anyone appreciated their Festival success more than jockey Brendan Powell on Tuesday.