Horse Power: Making Headway can win the Imperial Cup at Sandown

Ahead of next week’s Cheltenham FestivalMAKING HEADWAY can win the Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (GBB Race) (2.25pm) at Sandown on Saturday afternoon.

Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero's six-year-old can land the feature at the Esher track and potentially put himself in line to land the £100,000 bonus if he can go on and win over the four days at the Prestbury Park extravaganza.

Making Headway is entered in the both the Coral Cup and Martin Pipe at next week’s Festival although is not guaranteed to get into either race. But all he can do is win this valuable contest and then see if he does make the cut for a crack at the bonus, and the Cheshire-based stable of Greenall and Guerriero won the event contest with Iroko 12 months ago. Novice Making Headway has won two of his four starts over hurdles and was second in the Grade Two Newton Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock Park in November and fourth behind Jango Baie in the Grade One Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree Racecourse on Boxing Day.

He won the Betfair Racing Podcasts Novices’ Hurdle over an extended two miles in good style at Newbury last month. He made the running that day having been held up in his two previous starts on Merseyside. As a former point-to-point winner, he clearly stays well but he is clearly not short on speed. And if he goes off at the head of affairs again he looks to have all the attributes to go very close in this prestigious two-mile contest before a potential trip to Cheltenham next week.

Others who can get involved in the finish are Gary Moore’s Spirit D’Aunou – who won over course and distance at this meeting last year; Ben Pauling’s recent Ascot runner-up Bad and stable-mate Jipcot; and the Olly Murphy-trained Go Dante.

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