Connections hoping Cross Country course can rediscover More Of That spark
JP McManus owns four of the nine runners for Friday's Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham, including three-time course winner Josies Orders and Jonjo O'Neill's former Grade One hurdler More Of That.
JONJO O'NEILL's former World Hurdle winner More Of That will make his debut over the Cross Country course at Cheltenham on Friday.
The classy nine-year-old is still rated 157 but has suffered from multiple problems since his 2014 Cheltenham Festival success.
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He still managed to finish a respectable sixth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last season despite an indifferent campaign.
However, connections have decided to give More Of That a spin over the the unique Cross Country course at Cheltenham in a bid to revive his spark.
His owner JP McManus fields four of the nine runners in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, including three-time winner on the course Josies Orders, trained by race specialist Enda Bolger. His stablemates Cantlow and My Hometown complete the McManus quartet.
McManus' racing manager Frank Berry admitted he hopes a new challenge will help rekindle the spark in More Of That.
"He's struggling a bit at the minute and this is a decent opportunity to give him a new lease of life, so we'll see how he gets on," said Berry.
"He hasn't been around the course before, but he's schooled well at home."
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He added: "With Cantlow and Josies Orders, you know where you are, they are going in good form, they like the place and have run well there before so we just hope they all turn up and run a good race on the day."
Michael Scudamore's Kingswell Theatre will need to defy an 8lb higher mark after making all over the course in November. Last season's National Hunt Chase winner Tiger Roll is another surprise inclusion to the race.
Elsewhere on the card, the £45,000 Unicoin Group Handicap Chase has attracted just six runners, headed by Paul Nicholls' Southfield Theatre, who wears blinkers for the first time.
Colin Tizzard's Robinsfirth, Harry Fry's Wotzizname and the Scudamore-trained Mysteree, runner-up in the Midlands National when last seen, feature in the small but select field.