Festival winner More Of That a shock entry in the cross-country chase at Cheltenham on Saturday
Jonjo O'Neill makes surprise entry for his former top-class hurdler in Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase on Cheltenham Festival Trials day
CHELTENHAM Festival hero More Of That makes a surprise appearance in the cross-country chase at the Cotswolds track on Saturday.
The Jonjo O'Neill-trained runner landed the World Hurdle - now the Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle - back in 2014 but has looked out of sorts in three starts this season.
O'Neill will be hoping the unique challenge of the famous cross-country could spark a return to form for the nine-year-old, owned by JP McManus.
But it is a strange entry for a horse that O'Neill described just a few months ago as "the best horse I've ever trained".
He was sent off hot favourite for the Betvictor Gold Cup on the strength of that stable confidence but finished pulled up behind winning stablemate Taquin du Seuil.
He has since flopped in his last two starts, the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon and the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Also entered in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase is Cantlow, a winner over the course last month. He is trained by Irish cross-country supremo Enda Bolger.
Any Currency, who was first past the post in last season's cross-country race at the Cheltenham Festival but subsequently disqualified after testing positive for a banned painkiller, will seek compensation.