10 February 2023 , 19:30
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Noel Fehily insists the Cheltenham Festival cannot be overhyped ahead of Love Envoi's final preparatory run.
A current title-holder at the March meeting, Harry Fry's stable star is odds on to go through the gears in Saturday's Listed Virgin Bet Best Odds Daily Warwick Mares' Hurdle.
Last spring, the seven-year-old capped a remarkable novice campaign by notching her fifth straight victory on the biggest stage of all. Love Envoi is 11-2 with William Hill to go in again, atop of a stellar Mares' Hurdle cast probably featuring Honeysuckle and Epatante.
The former champion hurdlers have rerouted from the Unibet-backed day one feature, where Constitution Hill blocks the path to success. Despite continued discussion about the swollen programme of races at the fixture, plus diluted quality in the 14 Grade 1 races, Fehily believes it has not lost its lustre.
"For most, Cheltenham is the be all and end all – and rightly so," he said. "Every sport needs a grand finale. If you don't have a meeting like that, what is the point?
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"When you get a winner early in the season, you hope the horse will be good enough to run at the Festival. Every one we look at we are thinking about Cheltenham. That's what owners want."
Fehily, who has 26 horses in syndicates run in partnership with his former weighing room colleague David Crosse, hopes to have up to five runners at next month's jumps extravaganza.
Tahmuras is as short as 7-1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, a contest blown wide open by the shock Dublin Racing Festival defeat of Facile Vega. And Fehily suggests Love Envoi has added another dimension to her game as the list of contenders for her Cheltenham target hots up.
Love Envoi is 11-2 with William Hill win the Mares' Hurdle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival (Getty)"Her last win was the first time she had raced properly and dropped her head," said the former jockey who bagged more than 1,300 winners.
"Normally Johnny (Burke, rider) has a wrestling match with her. It's positive as she has to keep improving. The Mares' Hurdle is going to be one hell of a race.
"Love Envoi has done wonders for us and the ten people involved in the syndicate have had an unbelievable ride with her. They have become good friends and it's wonderful to see how horses can bring people together."
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