Big Zeb can kick-start festival bid

RACING NEWS AND PREVIEWS: IN THE past Big Zeb has mixed career highs and frustrating lows at Punchestown but Colm Murphy is hopeful tomorrow's Grade Two Tied Cottage Chase can provide the perfect kick-start to a Cheltenham challenge.

The €40,000 event is an opportunity for Big Zeb to convince any doubters about his Champion Chase claims but the horse has something of a chequered history around here.

As a novice Big Zeb landed a Grade One here but in this race last year he fell at the second last when going like a winner. The good and the bad were both present at last April’s festival when Murphy’s star ploughed through the last and yet only just failed to overhaul Master Minded.

A lacklustre effort in last month’s Tingle Creek is just about forgivable given Murphy’s belief that Big Zeb runs better fresh, but he will have to be near his best, with Golden Silver looking a genuine threat.

Willie Mullins’s charge landed the Dial-A-Bet at Leopardstown and will relish the testing ground conditions as he too tries to earn a Cheltenham ticket by beating a small but select field that also includes the last two Tied Cottage winners, Mansony and Don’t Be Bitin.

Tomorrow’s other Grade Two, the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle, has just six starters but they include Hollo Ladies and Saludos, who were divided by just a neck at the end of a Grade One at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Hollo Ladies carries a penalty now and is an extremely tough customer but Saludos is considerably better off at the weights and has an obvious chance of reversing the placings.

The three-and-a-half-mile Grand National Trial will be a massive stamina test in the heavy ground conditions and Rock Diplomat looks to be at the right end of the weights.

Michael Cunningham’s runner was beaten only by Ballytrim over an even longer trip here in May and could represent a touch of value in a competitive event.

The Cunningham team may also be in the mix in the preceding handicap chase with Tiernan’s Terror currently in good form.

Seabass looked all over a winner at Navan on Wednesday until falling at the last and appears to be a major danger.

The star cross-country performer Heads Onthe Ground can repeat his 2007 victory in the opening banks event while Perfect Smile should be hard to beat in the two mile maiden hurdle.