Walters hopeful of Whisky success Owner Dai Walters is hopeful the star of his string Oscar Whisky will get off the mark over fences at the second attempt at Cheltenham on Friday. The top-class hurdler was an odds-on favourite for his chasing debut at Prestbury Park last month, but in a race run at a crawl, the eight-year-old was beaten a neck by the talented Taquin Du Seuil. Walters is keeping his fingers crossed for a stronger gallop in Friday's Ryman Stationery Cheltenham Business Club Novices' Chase. He said: "I just hope it is a better race this time, as there was no speed at all in his last race. "I think he will improve for his first run - all of Nicky's (Henderson) horses have been improving for a run, so he should be the same. "We'll get this race out of the way before we make any plans." Oscar Whisky's most obvious danger is the Paul Nicholls-trained Wonderful Charm. The five-year-old already has a rating of 152 over fences after completing a hat-trick in most impressive fashion at Newbury a fortnight ago. Nigel Twiston-Davies' Red Riverman, Paul Henderson's Captain Ocana and Close House from David Pipe's yard complete the five-runner field.
