The serious money on Saturday was at Newbury, where the 20-1 shot Glory And Fortune picked up £87,000 for his connections in the Betfair Handicap Hurdle, the most valuable race of its type all year. The most serious candidate for Cheltenham, though, was 80 miles away at Warwick, where Edwardstone confirmed himself as that rarest of creatures: a British-trained favourite for a Grade One race at the Festival.
Edwardstone, at 9-4, is only narrowly in front of Blue Lord (3-1) and Riviere D’Etel (9-2), from the powerhouse Irish yards of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott respectively, in the betting for the Arkle Trophy, the second race of the Festival meeting on 15 March. After last year’s near-annihilation by the visitors, however, it is something for the home team to cling to.
