Potential star line-up makes Hennessy one to savour

The Open meeting isn't yet cold in its grave, yet the Festival drum roll has already begun. The upside of course is that unlike the Flat, the Cheltenham Festival provides a very clear and joined-up narrative to the whole jumps campaign - a type of laser treatment compared to the scattergun construct of the summer game.

The downside is that the four days in March casts a long shadow over the glittering trail of treasures that leads directly towards it. In short, each weekend, barring the Tolworth Hurdle weekend perhaps, after the excesses of Christmas, is a prize asset in its own right, and yet each is in danger of being treated as just a necessary stroke on the countdown clock to the Festival.

The 58th running of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury next weekend is a case in point. With a roll of honour that includes Mill House, Arkle, Mandarin, Bregawn, Burrough Hill Lad, One Man, Denman and Bobs Worth it has a deeply rich storyboard of its own, independent of any future Festival. As a handicap it is hardly surprising that some of the aforementioned appeared at the head of the weights in their day. Arkle carried a train-stopping 12st 7lbs. Twice. Mill House and Burrough Hill Lad both humped 12st. However, One Man carried just 10st in 1994. As an unexposed six-year-old his light had yet to shine and the Hennessy was the stage to first confirm his pretensions to superstardom.

One Man's profile demonstrates how the Hennessy is unique in that it is the only real high profile staying chase where second season chasers still have the ability to race off a workable handicap mark. His mark on the day, remarkably, was just 135.

No coincidence then that three of the first four in the market fit the second season chaser mould and if there is a 'One Man' in the field then it is certainly Djakadam. Tantalisingly unexposed, the Willie Mullins-trained French-bred won both starts, including a Grade Two at Leopardstown, before coming to grief at the fourth last in the Golden Miller at the Festival when still very much in contention. A rating of 142 next Saturday is understandably far more speculative than concrete on behalf of the handicapper given the very limited evidence available to him. What we do know, however, is that the horses that occupied the first three positions in the Golden Miller are now all 155-plus horses so it could be that Djakadam is simply thrown in.

Counteracting that however is the fact that no five-year-old has ever won the Hennessy in its 57 previous editions, and that Djakadam is untried beyond 21 furlongs. The Newbury challenge lasts almost 27. Add to that he is a keen-going sort making his seasonal debut after a break of 261 days and you can understand why bookmakers may be keen to take on the market leader.

Many Clouds has been popular for a while and shares with Djakadam the fact that he was deprived of showing his worth at the Festival when brought down at the 14th in the RSA. Given that he had just been beaten by the actual RSA winner O'Faolains Boy on his previous outing in the Reynoldstown when conceding 4lbs, and that O'Faolains Boy is currently rated 156 (whereas Many Clouds is only 151), the attraction is not difficult to see.

Mind you, his mark would have been even more attractive if he hadn't gone in on his seasonal introduction at Carlisle three weeks ago, incurring a 7lb rise. However, trainer Oliver Sherwood was nonetheless optimistic afterwards. "I think my horse has improved both physically and mentally and sometimes you find the handicapper hasn't caught up with this type of horse," he said. The elements of the Hennessy Many Clouds will unquestionably relish are the extended distance and the very soft ground.

Smad Place actually finished off the RSA in March where he was just touched off by O'Faolains Boy and has had the Hennessy as his target ever since. He is 2-4 over fences but has a 2-2 record at Newbury that includes his debut over timber as well as a comfortable victory in extreme ground over last Saturday's Cheltenham hero Sam Winner. Sam Winner has since been raised 9lbs for that win which suggests there could be plenty more to come from Alan King's likeable grey this term.

The final potential ratings-dodger is Fingal Bay who bids to cap Philip Hobbs' six-winner haul at the Open meeting last weekend. With just three runs over fences, the second of which saw him finish runner-up to Dynaste (now rated 167) conceding 5lbs at the Open meeting two years ago, it is easy to see the Fingal angle off 153 next Saturday.

With so much possibility surrounding even the four market leaders it is enough to savour the race in its very own right. However, not even King Canute would dare try stem the flow of inevitable Gold Cup quotes in the aftermath.