Love Sign d’Aunou leads 36 entries for the Champion Bumper

Runaway Naas winner Love Sign d’Aunou made a seamless transition from the point-to-point field when scoring over two and a quarter miles last month and is the clear favourite for the Wednesday Grade 1 contest which is this year being run in memory of Sir Johnny Weatherby.

The five-year-old tops 19 entries from Ireland in total, seven of which are from Closutton, including the Gigginstown Stud-owned Navan winner The Irish Avatar. Our Trigger and Quiryn are other possible Willie Mullins runners, though impressive Leopardstown winner Bentraghhill is not entered. Mullins is already the leading trainer in the race and is seeking a 15th success.

Gigginstown could also be represented by the Gordon Elliott-trained trio of Keep Him Company, With Nolimit and Charismatic Kid, the latter pair having finished second and third behind fellow Champion Bumper entry stablemate Broadway Ted at Leopardstown earlier this month.

Oh My Word, who will have his first start for Tony Martin since switching from Thomas Cleary, remains engaged, while the main British challenge looks set to come from Chris Gordon’s Ascot listed winner Bass Hunter and Dan Skelton’s French recruit Mets Ta Ceinture, a four-year-old filly who was last seen finishing second in a Grade 2 at Saint Cloud.

Click here to view the Champion Bumper racecard

Last year's one-two set to clash in Hunters' Chase

Thirty-five horses hold entries in the Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase, the amateur riders’ race that follows the Cheltenham Gold Cup over the same distance.

Last year’s winner Wonderwall is on target to defend his crown, the now-10-year-old having since added a win between the flags in November, while Its On The Line has finished runner-up in the race for the past three seasons, only failing by a neck in agonising fashion 12 months ago. The third home, Willitgoahead, is one of two Bective Stud-owned entries for Gordon Elliott, the other being Chemical Energy.

Con’s Roc finished third behind Its On The Line at Down Royal over Christmas, while Panda Boy – an easy winner at Thurles and Naas this season – completes the quartet of Irish runners that dominate the antepost market.

The Kelly Morgan-trained Music Drive, who was fourth last year, and the former Willie Mullins inmate Stattler, who impressed at Fakenham earlier this month, lead the home challenge in company with Wrappedupinmay (Sam Curling) and Barton Snow (Joe O’Shea).

Click here to view the Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase racecard

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