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The Showcase, Cheltenham's opening meeting of the season, continues on Saturday, October 20, with an exciting seven-race card headed by two £50,000 handicap chases - the BetVictor.com Trophy (2.30pm, 35 entries) over two and a half miles and the extended three-mile Ryman The Stationer Handicap Chase (3.40pm, 29 entries).
Among the entries for the BetVictor.com Trophy are Martin Keighley's promising second season chaser Havingotascoobydo and Darna, trained by Kim Bailey, who finished last season with two easy chase wins at Exeter and Ascot, while Ferdy Murphy could run Divers.
Ixora won a handicap hurdle at The Showcase last year before finishing seventh to Quevega in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle at The Festival and the six-year-old has made a promising start to her chasing career.
The daughter of Milan won her first two chases at Huntingdon and Worcester in good style before finishing a narrow second to Nataani at Bangor-on-Dee in July. On her latest start, she proved no match for Prince Tom, whom she had beaten at Worcester, in a two-runner race on soft ground at Newton Abbott.
Snowden, who trains in Lambourn, said: "Ixora is entered in the Betvictor.com Trophy and she is also entered in the squareintheair.com Novices' Chase over the same trip the day before. I think we will go through both races and decide which one we would have the best chance in but she is definitely running at Cheltenham.
"She has been in good form since her run at Newton Abbot but it was a bit of a waste of time because it was very soft ground and as we know, she prefers much better ground. That was the only class three novices' chase around at that time that she could run in, so we had to go.
"Before that I thought she was very progressive over fences. She jumped well and enjoyed the quicker ground when she won at Huntingdon and although she has the speed to win over two miles, she also appreciates a step up in trip.
"I thought her win at Worcester was excellent when she beat Prince Tom and we know she likes Cheltenham so we are very positive.
"I always thought she would make a nice chaser because she is a bit flippant when it comes to hurdles. She showed that when she fell at Cheltenham on her final start over hurdles and she definitely respects her fences more.
"After Cheltenham I think we will pop her back over hurdles to try and get a bit of black type - there is a race at Wetherby at the start of November - and then we will give her the winter off like last year before coming back for The Festival."
BetVictor has opened betting on the Betvictor.com Trophy, with Astracad and Havingotascoobydo heading the market at 7/1.
Spokesperson Charlie McCann said: "We are delighted to be sponsoring at The Showcase meeting for the first time and are thrilled with both the quality and quantity of the entries which has enabled us to bet a quarter odds four places on the race which has been won by some top-class horses in the past.
"Local trainers Martin Keighley and Nigel Twiston-Davies have their strings in good form ahead of the two-day meeting and we make Havingotascoobydo and Astracad out 7/1 market leaders."
BetVictor.com Trophy
7/1 Astracad, Havingotascoobydoo, 9/1 Triangular, Rebel Du Maquis, 10/1 Darna, Prince Tom, 12/1 Easter Meteor, That'lldoboy, 14/1 Mad Moose, Bobowen, Jamsie Hall, Spock, Royale's Charter, Rob Conti, Kauto Relko, 16/1 Tartak, Nadiya De la Vega, Ixora, Tiger O'Toole, 20/1 Divers, Lancetto, Buck Mulligan, Gilbarry, Wessex King, 25/1 Finger Onthe Pulse, Takeroc, Life Of A Luso, 33/1 Idarah, Quito Du Tresor, Mister Matt, Politeo, Forget It, Campbonnais, 40/1 Got Attitude,Each Way 1/4 odds 1,2,3,4
The entries for the Ryman The Stationer Handicap Chase include last season's Hennessy Gold Cup hero Carruthers, Alan King's dual Sandown scorer Hold on Julio and Festival winner Balthazar King, who triumphed in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase.
The action gets underway with the Edward Gillespie Hands Over The Reins Novices' Hurdle (2.00pm, 15 entries) over just shy of three and a quarter miles which marks the stepping down of the racecourse's Managing Director after 32 years.
Rebecca Curtis could saddle Rendl Beach, who won scored by 24 lengths on his hurdling debut at Fontwell on October 5.
Some early season Stan James Champion Hurdle clues could be revealed when the four-year-olds take to the track for the £30,000 Masterson Holdings Hurdle (3.05pm) over an extended two miles.
The 13 entries include Tom George's Grade Two scorer Baby Mix and Alan King's Grade Three Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle third Vendor, while Paul Nicholls could be represented by Grade One Triumph Hurdle fourth Dodging Bullets and dual hurdle winner Ranjaan.
The card also includes the £10,000 Marie Curie Cancer Care Handicap Hurdle (4.20pm, 47 entries) and the £20,000 Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Novices' Chase (4.55pm, 17 entries) over two miles in which Mouse Morris could saddle Baily Green, who is chasing a six-timer.
The final race is the Guy Knights Memorial Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (5.30pm, 22 entries) and Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins could send over Great Jones, who scored by 12 lengths on debut at Tramore in August.
The Showcase offers racegoers the chance to go behind the scenes at the home of Jump racing.
The weighing room and parade ring will be open to the public before racing and there will be chances to win some wonderful racing experiences, such as presenting a trophy, watching a race in the commentary box or seeing the jockeys weigh in after a race.
