Racing: O'Sullevan's colours back at scene of old triumph

Never say never again but, 29 years after a famous victory with Attivo, Sir Peter O'Sullevan is once again on the Cheltenham Festival trail. His six-year-old Never, trained in France by François Doumen, was one of 44 horses entered yesterday in the £300,000 Champion Hurdle on 11 March.

The former BBC commentator who became known as the "Voice of Racing" won the Triumph Hurdle with Attivo in 1974 but has not tasted Festival success since. He conceded yesterday that Never could have only an outsider's chance of lifting the hurdling crown. "We've entered him just in case a lot of the fancied horses were to fall by the wayside and not run," Sir Peter said. "Having said that, in the Champion Hurdle you often get a wild card reaching the frame at big odds."

A more likely option for Never, he pointed out, was the Festival's last contest on the final day, the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle on 13 March. If he lined up in that handicap, Never could well have a serious chance. He was a clear-cut winner at Newbury in November, after which his owner said: "He jumped like a pussycat."

Sir Peter is known to have been very annoyed that an entry error prevented Never from running in the valuable Ladbroke Hurdle just before Christmas. The horse had been quietly fancied for that Ascot contest.

Doumen may also send Laveron from France for the Champion Hurdle, while a leading German trainer, Mario Hofer, has entered San Suru and Siberius. One particularly interesting home-trained entry is Xtra, a useful Flat performer bought in October to join Jim Old's stable at a cost of 120,000gns from the Luca Cumani yard.

Vying for favouritism in the ante-post betting are the hugely-improved pair Intersky Falcon, winner of the Fighting Fifth and the Christmas Hurdle, and Rooster Booster, who landed the Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham in December.

Marble Arch, last year's runner-up, could do battle with the reigning champion Hors La Loi III again. Martin Pipe's six entries include Coral Cup and Aintree Hurdle winner Ilnamar and the high-class German Flat performer Iberus, who has yet to make his hurdling debut.

Irish aspirants include Like-A-Butterfly, winner of last season's Supreme Novice Hurdle at the Festival, Adamant Approach, who was travelling ominously well when falling in the same race last year, and his stablemate Davenport Milenium, a good third in the Christmas Hurdle after a long lay-off.

There are several less- exposed entries, including Flame Creek, a winner at Cheltenham on New Year's Day for trainer Noel Chance, the Tom George-trained Kombinacja, a mare who won the Triple Crown in Poland on the Flat but has yet to jump a hurdle in public, and Josh Gifford's exciting novice Kopeck.

As well as Intersky Falcon, Jonjo O'Neill has entered last season's Champion Bumper runner-up Rhinestone Cowboy, unbeaten in two races over hurdles this season and backed at long odds for the Champion Hurdle. Many of the entries revealed yesterday are, of course, likely to run instead in other races at the Festival.

One Cheltenham stalwart, Florida Pearl, is a surprise entry for this Saturday's Tote Exacta Chase over two miles at Kempton Park.

The 11-year-old, trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, is among 18 possibles for the £80,000-added limited handicap set up as an equivalent contest to Ascot's Victor Chandler Chase, which was lost to the freeze-up.

CHAMPION HURDLE Latest odds (Ladbrokes): 5-1 Rooster Booster, 6-1 Intersky Falcon, 9-1 Davenport Milenium, 10-1 Rhinestone Cowboy, 11-1 Like-A-Butterfly, 14-1 Landing Light, 16-1 Hors La Loi, Scottish Memories, 20-1 Flame Creek, Geos, Marble Arch, Santenay, 25-1 Copeland, Ilnamar, Kopeck, Stage Affair, 33-1 Adamant Approach, In Contrast, Laveron, Liss A Paoraigh, Never, Puntal, Scolardy, Westender, 40-1 others.