Tuesday 28 April 2015 18:35, UK
The popular Hunter Chase Evening brings the curtain down on another fantastic season at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Alan Hill is one of the leading trainers of hunter chasers and will have three runners across the seven races, headed by Quinz (Joe Hill) in the £7,500 Bonhams Men's Open Point-To-Point Championship Final Hunters' Chase (6.30pm, 10 runners).
The 11-year-old was last seen out when unseating Alan's son Joe in the Crabbie's Foxhunters' Chase at Aintree on April 9. That came after a point-to-point success and a good second to Paint The Clouds in a three-mile contest at Doncaster on February 18.
Quinz was a high-class performer in his pomp for Philip Hobbs, capturing the Grade Three BetBright Chase at Kempton Park in February, 2011.
Hill reported: "Unfortunately, Quinz had a little whoopsie at Becher's Brook when he was just starting to get into the race. The trip was on the sharp side for him there and they outpaced him early on, but he was jumping his way into it and it is a shame he unseated.
"He has come out of it fine and has schooled two or three times since - we like to do that after horses have run at Aintree, just to get their confidence back.
"We go into the race hoping the ground is on the fast side of good because that will really help him, even though he is a fine, big horse.
"He has run well at Cheltenham before, including when he third behind Chicago Grey and Time For Rupert, with Balthazar King back in fifth (a novices' chase in December, 2010). He was giving them all weight that day and if he can reproduce anything like that it will put him in with a very good chance tomorrow."
Harbour Court (James Tudor) looked a star in the making when winning by 13 lengths on this card in 2013, but disappointed as the odds-on favourite in the £6,000 Hunt Staff Benefit Society Hunters' Chase (5.55pm, seven runners) 12 months ago.
The nine-year-old tackles the same race again and comes into the three mile, one and a half furlong contest on the back of a fourth in an open hunters' chase at Newbury on March 20.
Hill added: "We ran Harbour Court with a tongue tie for the first time in this race last year and he didn't take to it. It has taken him two or three runs to really accept it.
"We rode him differently at Newbury. We had him handier than usual, which seemed to benefit him, and the better ground also helped.
"We considered running him in the four mile race but that looks very competitive. We only decided to put the cheekpieces on this morning as we are hoping they will help him travel better in the first mile or so. He is not ungenuine in any way, he is just quite observant and hopefully they will help him go forward."
Done A Runner (Dale Peters) faces 16 rivals in the Connolly's Red Mills Precision Nutrition Intermediate Point-To-Point Championship Final Hunters' Chase (5.25pm) over three miles, one and a half furlongs.
The nine-year-old comes into this contest in good form, having won three of his last four starts in point-to-points.
Hill said: "Done A Runner will love the fast ground. Any time we have run him on better ground, his form improves a lot.
"I've only had him a year and during that time he has done nothing but improve, not only in terms of results and performances, but also in his mental attitude.
"We are going there tomorrow hoping he can be in the mix. You could pick seven or eight out and still not find the winner but Red Mills are a very generous sponsor of our sport and we want to give it a go to see what we have got."
The longest race of the evening is the £6,000 Cheltenham Club Open Hunters' Chase (7.40pm) over four miles and a furlong. Major Malarkey (Nigel Twiston-Davies/Harry Bannister) looks to hold a leading chance after staying on well to take fourth in the Crabbie's Foxhunters' Chase last time out.
Racing gets underway at 4.50pm and concludes at 8.15pm.
Away from the track, racegoers can enjoy a selection of the region's best heritage ciders, perry and craft real ales in The Centaur. There is also live music after racing, courtesy of the Lucky 15s.
