Sir Gino And The New Lion Set For Cheltenham Clash

Sir Gino and The New Lion are due to cross courses at Cheltenham on Saturday as both hold entries for the Unibet Hurdle.


Sir Gino was last seen winning the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, a six-length success ahead of Jeremy Scott's star mare Golden Ace.


The New Lion, trained by Dan Skelton, shone at the Cheltenham Festival last year when winning the Turners' Novices Hurdle however fell at the penultimate flight when starting his project in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle in late November.


Those 2 horses are most likely to head the market, with the last field set to be little as Kerry Lee's Nemean Lion, the Harry Derham-trained Brentford Hope and Willie Mullins' Poniros are the other entrants.


The latter horse is a dual-purpose advocate who notoriously won last season's Triumph Hurdle on his launching over challenges and though he is due to to go back to the National Hunt code before the summer, his first getaway may be either at Cheltenham or Leopardstown on February 1.


"Poniros is in a Cheltenham at the weekend, he's due to work at the Curragh on Tuesday," stated Sean Graham, racing supervisor to Poniros' owner Tony Bloom.


The New Lion (left) and Sir Gino, who are due to cross courses in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday (PA)


"After that Willie and David (Casey, assistant fitness instructor) will make their minds up regarding whether we're going to go.


"Sir Gino will remain in it and so will JP's horse (The New Lion). There are 2 methods of looking at it, we can go to Cheltenham and run at a track he has actually won around before and there might only be 4 or five runners - or his other option is the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival.


"That will probably be just as tough a race, if not harder, and there'll likely be more runners at Leopardstown as well.


"I believe if he works all right, we'll most likely be going to Cheltenham."