Elliott Planning Showcase Raid at Cheltenham Cheltenham Racecourse is gearing up for a busy and exciting 2008/09 season and starts the campaign with The Showcase on Friday, October 17, and Saturday, October 18, boasting total prize money of #252,000, which represents a #20,000 (8.6 per cent) increase on last year. The feature race of the two-day meeting is the #50,000 Dick Francis "Silks" Handicap Chase (2.50pm) on the Saturday, which is sure to offer some clues for the #150,000 Paddy Power Gold Cup, the centrepiece of The Open (November 14, 15 and 16). Irish trainer Gordon Elliott, who has made a number of successful trips to Britain already this season, is looking forward to The Showcase and hopes to have a strong team to send across from his County Meath base. The Grand National winning trainer wants to improve on the two wins that he has notched up at Prestbury Park already during his career, while the prize money on offer is also encouraging him to come over. He said: "Franc Villez will run in the two and a half mile novice chase (Tiger Developments Novices' Chase - 2.55pm) on the Friday, all being well. He will go to Perth next week and that should leave him right for Cheltenham. "He has won two and been placed second twice for us at Perth already in July, so he has been very consistent over there this year and is in good form at home. I'd be hopeful of another good run from him. "Valerius, who won two days in a row at Perth in late July, will probably go for the two-mile and five furlong novice hurdle (Lemington Novices' Hurdle - 2.20pm), the first race on Friday. He will go to Perth before as well. He's in good form at home - in good condition - and will be campaigned mostly in England this season. "Tchang Goon, who was a reserve in the bumper at Listowel on Tuesday, could possibly go for the bumper (Betfair Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race - 5.45pm) at Cheltenham on the second day. "I'll have a few others for the handicap hurdles as well, maybe Mhilu, who also won at Perth in July. I'm just a bit undecided still about who else is definitely going to go over, I'll have to see how they all are in the next couple of weeks." "The prize money is very good over the two days of The Showcase and I will definitely be trying to pick up some of it, so hopefully I'll have a good team going across."
