O`Brien on a Knife Edge

Knife Edge will have one more run before taking on Britain`s best two-mile chasers at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The seven-year-old`s trainer, Michael O`Brien, confirmed today that his charge will head to Naas for the Newlands Chase on February 24th before going on to the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Knife Edge, a 10-1 chance for the two-mile championship with William Hill, has won his last three races over fences, most recently beating Alcapone by three lengths in a Grade Three contest at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Originally trained in Newmarket by Sir Michael Stoute for his brief career on the Flat, the son of Kris S was a high-class hurdler who was beaten less than nine lengths when third to Istabraq in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown two years ago.

'He`s going for the Champion Chase after Naas,' O`Brien said today. 'I am expecting heavy ground at Naas at that time of the year but I`d hope he will be fine on anything at Cheltenham.

'The thingis we`ve never run him on fast ground when he`s been right so we couldn`t be sure about whether he would go on it but he is a Flat-bred horse with a beautiful action so you`d have to be hopeful.'

The trainer is hopeful that his relative lack of experience over fences compared to seasoned chasers like Edredon Bleu and Flagship Uberalles would not be too great a disadvantage on the big day.

'He`s doing everything we`ve asked him to over fences and I want to just get one more race into him which is why he`s going to Naas,' O`Brien explained.

'He has got plenty of pace and I can see him having no problems lying up with them at Cheltenham, he`s certainly got a turn of foot for the finish too.

'But as to whether he is going to be good enough to beat the very best, we`ll just have to wait and see.'