Latest Cheltenham news

The acceptors for the five main championship contests at the Cheltenham Festival in March - the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Ryanair Chase, the Stan James Champion Hurdle and the Ladbrokes World Hurdle - have been unveiled.

There are no surprise withdrawals from the £500,000 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, which has 24 contenders going forward including the last three winners - Kauto Star (2007 and 2009), Denman (2008) and Imperial Commander (2010).

Barker, Noland, Sizing Europe, Cooldine, The Nightingale and Time For Rupert are among the 10 scratchings.

Master Minded, who has been taken out of the Ryanair Chase, is one of 15 entries remaining in the £320,000 sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase, along with Somersby, who ran the Paul Nicholls-trained eight-year-old to a short-head at Ascot last month.

Nicholls is also responsible for the progressive Woolcombe Folly while last year's winner Big Zeb and his recent Punchestown conqueror Golden Silver remain in the contest.

Nicholls has taken out Tchico Polos while other notable absentees were Petit Robin and the out-of-sorts pair Forpadydeplasterer and Crack Away Jack.

Somersby and Golden Silver are also two of the 32 entries left in the £260,000 Ryanair Chase, which could also feature Cheltenham specialist Poquelin and Riverside Theatre, who chased home Long Run in the William Hill King George VI Chase last time out.

Binocular is on course as he bids to retain his crown in the £370,000 Stan James Champion Hurdle.

Seven-time Irish Grade One scorer Hurricane Fly remains in the line-up while recent Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Oscar Whisky and Menorah, who is unbeaten in three outings at Cheltenham including in last year's Stan James Supreme Novices' Hurdle, have both been given the green light at this stage.

Celestial Halo, Solwhit and Tocca Ferro were the only three scratchings, leaving 28 remaining entries.

A total of 34 entries go forward for the £260,000 Ladbrokes World Hurdle, which on paper looks to be between Big Buck's and Grand Crus

The former is bidding to become only the second horse to win the three-mile contest three times and the first to achieve the treble in consecutive years

Grands Crus has won all of his starts in impressive fashion this season, most recently when sauntering to a 10-length victory in the Grade Two Rewards4Racing Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham on January 29.

There were no major surprises among the 12 scratchings, with Arcalis, Shinrock Paddy and Walkon among those to have been withdrawn.