CHELTENHAM ON CARDS FOR SHUFFLE

Boardroom Shuffle has been pencilled in for the #80,000 Thomas Pink Gold Cup, the feature event of The Open 2000 meeting at Cheltenham in November, it was announced today.

The gelding, twice a winner at Plumpton last season, has not raced since being pulled up in the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton last December.

'It`s the intention to run him in the Thomas Pink Gold Cup,' said the nine-year-old`s trainer Noel Chance.

'We would hope to give him a run somewhere beforehand - I am not sure where but it would be sometime in mid-October.

'He seems to be in very good shape and has done a couple of bits of work so far.'

The Open 2000 is the new name for the prestigious three-day meeting at Cheltenham which takes place between Friday November 10th and Sunday November 12th.

Thomas Pink, the principal sponsor, has taken over the backing of the main race _ formerly known as the Murphy`s Gold Cup.

Cheltenham has also introduced a new staying handicap chase, the #50,000 Intervet Trophy on Saturday, and there is a #25,000 bonus linking it to the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury.

This is a new sponsorship by Intervet UK Ltd.

Prize money at The Open 2000 will be #435,000, an increase of 24% over last year`s #349,000 for the three days.