Exciting Champions to defend their titles.

Best Mate, Rooster Booster, Moscow Flyer and Baracouda all go forward to defend their Cheltenham Festival titles it is announced today, February 25, following yesterday?s forfeit stage for the nine championship races which are run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 16 to 18

Best Mate, successful in the TOTE CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP for the last two years, is bidding to become the first hat-trick winner of chasing?s top race since Arkle in 1964/65/66. The Henrietta Knight-trained nine-year-old faces competition from up to 19 others including French challenger Jair Du Cochet, who was runner-up in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at last year?s Festival and has since won the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham in January, former hunter chaser Kingscliff who took the Christies? Foxhunter Chase at the 2003 Festival, novice Therealbandit, Ireland?s Beef Or Salmon, last year?s second Truckers Tavern, veteran Florida Pearl who is in great form, the Jonjo O?Neill-trained Keen Leader and another French challenger in First Gold.

Rooster Booster goes into the SMURFIT CHAMPION HURDLE in excellent form after just failing by the narrowest margin to defy top-weight in one of the most competitive handicap hurdles of the season, the Tote Gold Trophy, earlier this month. The grey was the decisive winner of the 2003 Smurfit Champion Hurdle and has 23 potential challengers this year, notably Rigmarole, successful twice at Cheltenham already this season and winner of Saturday?s Axminster Hurdle at Wincanton from Intersky Falcon, and Irish hope Rhinestone Cowboy who bounced back to form in the Agfa Hurdle at Sandown last time out. He also won the 2002 Vincent O?Brien County Hurdle at the Festival.

Moscow Flyer is trying to win the QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE for the second successive year and is another after a third successive victory at the Festival, having captured The Irish Independent Arkle Chase in 2002. Trained in Ireland by Jessica Harrington, the 10-year-old chaser has 13 potential opponents including four from trainer Paul Nicholls led by Azertyuiop, who took The Irish Independent Arkle Chase last year, with Cenkos, Kadarann and Venn Ottery completing the quartet. Flagship Uberalles, the 2002 Queen Mother Champion Chase victor, and Isio, successful in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot earlier this year, are others still engaged.

Baracouda is also going for a Festival hat-trick, having won the bonusprint.com STAYERS? HURDLE for the last two years, and would become the first horse to win the long-distance hurdling championship three times if successful next month. He has 18 possible challengers, notably Iris?s Gift, who was runner-up last year and Irish mare Solerina but Rhinestone Cowboy is taken out.

There are supplementary entry stages for the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, Smurfit Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and bonusprint.com Stayers? Hurdle five days before each race.

The opening LETHEBY & CHRISTOPHER SUPREME NOVICES? HURDLE has 79 entries going forward, including Lingo, Garde Champetre, Brave Inca and Albuhera, while the ROYAL & SUNALLIANCE NOVICES? HURDLE also includes Brave Inca plus Inglis Drever and Cornish Rebel among the 79 remaining entries.

The JCB TRIUMPH HURDLE still has 92 entries and the Alan King-trained Trouble At Bay is the ante-post favourite for the four-year-old hurdling championship.

THE IRISH INDEPENDENT ARKLE CHASE has 25 left in, headed by the Paul Nicholls-trained Thisthatandtother and Irish raider Kicking King, while 33 go forward for the ROYAL & SUNALLIANCE CHASE including Our Vic, Lord Sam and Pizarro.

Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham?s Managing Director, commented: “The four defending champions are very exciting performers and it will be fascinating to see if they can all retain their crowns plus win for the third successive year at The Festival. The novice races have tremendous prospects in them and we are looking forward to a thrilling Festival.”