The Paul Nolan-trained Noble Prince© Photo Healy Racing
Paul Nolan is keeping his fingers crossed that Festival winner Noble Prince makes the cut for the St. James's Place Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham.
It is four years since the 11-year-old claimed Prestbury Park glory in what is now the JLT Novices' Chase under Tony McCoy and he has suffered his fair share of problems since.
However, the veteran appears to have found a new lease of life since being sent point-to-pointing, winning his last two starts, and Nolan would love to see his charge cross the Irish Sea once more.
He said: " I'm hoping he'll get into the Foxhunter. He's won his two opens. They give preference to hunter chase winners or placed horses but there is a wild card at the discretion of the handicapper so I'm hoping our fella would be highly enough rated to get a run.
"He's a former winner of the Jewson and was seventh in the Coral Cup last year, so we know he likes it around Cheltenham. He's in good form and won well at Punchestown the last day."
Nolan is hoping Noble Prince will not be his only Festival runner, with Fine Article and Dick Dundee also in the mix.
"Fine Article has come out of his last race at Clonmel well. He's 100 per cent. We are just waiting as long as we can to make a decision on Cheltenham. He'd want the ground more soft than good to soft," said the trainer.
"He's in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and the Martin Pipe (Conditional Jockeys' Hurdle), but we'd be more inclined to go for the three-mile race (Albert Bartlett).
"Dick Dundee is an intended runner in the Grand Annual."
