Harbour Ready For Cheltenham Test

Tom Mullins has confirmed that Chelsea Harbour will take his chance in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

The seven-year-old has made great strides over fences this season, winning a Grade Two at Naas before running respectably in the Dr PJ Moriarty Chase at Leopardstown.

The two-mile-five-furlong trip may have been a bit sharp for him that day, when he finished fourth behind Mister Top Notch, and Mullins believes the extra distance at Cheltenham will see him in a much better light.

'Chelsea Harbour will go for the SunAlliance, he's in great form,' confirmed Mullins.

'He was supposed to run at the weekend but between one thing and another he didn't, and in a way I'm glad because the ground was horrible.

'We could have run him this weekend but if he'd had a hard race there isn't much time to recover for Cheltenham.

'The Grade One he was fourth in at Leopardstown last time, we did the totally wrong thing. Although the ground was heavy, we thought it would be much worse and we dropped him in over two-five.

'He won his Grade Two at Naas over three miles by pressing the pace all the way and we just think the Leopardstown race was run at a slow pace which didn't suit him.

'He's very well after the race though so it's on to Cheltenham and then Aintree after that,' he told At The Races.

Chelsea Harbour is 25-1 with Stan James but as big as 66-1 with SkyBet for the SunAlliance Chase.

(C) PA Sport