This penultimate race of the 2017 Festival, named in honour of the 15-time champion trainer, has been won by Willie Mullins or Paul Nicholls in five of the last six years and the pair have good chances once again.

Mullins has Battleford and Castello Sforza while Nicholls has former Festival winner Lac Fontana and Tommy Silver but the danger could come from No Comment from the Philip Hobbs yard who has won three novice hurdles.   

Image source, Rex Features

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Pep Guardiola had an interesting conversation with Manchester City's owner Sheikh Mansour in Abu Dhabi recently.

Guardiola did not divulge much in the way of detail this afternoon but implied plenty had been invested in him in terms of driving City forward.

"I met Sheikh Mansour in Abu Dhabi recently," he said "I heard the plan. 

"The club is getting better and better. Who the players and manager are depends on the results but I have more power than ever to shape the squad. 

"It is a big challenge. I want to see if I am able to do it."

Manchester City

Image source, PA

Let's move away from Cheltenham for a moment and catch up on the latest football news and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has explained why centre-back Vincent Kompany didn't feature in the second leg against Monaco. 

Reports suggested, external that the Belgian has been fit for three weeks.

"The reason was that he didn't play because it was injured. Sometimes he was injured again. I don't want to waste one change because he might get injured again. Now he will go to the national team and hopefully he will play," he said.

"That was my desire from the beginning of the season but he has not been fit. The first step is to be fit. The last two weeks, he is there."

However, Kompany was not named in the Belgium squad announcement for their forthcoming matches against Greece and Russia.

On Reds manager Jurgen Klopp: "He is a top coach. Liverpool win the ball and attack. He likes to attack in four, five, six seconds. He is a top trainer. I respect him a lot. It's a good test. The best teams in the Premier League are at the top."

And here's Bryony Frost and Pacha Du Polder (far side) on their way to victory in the Foxhunters Chase. Balnaslow, also pictured, eventually finished third.  

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Jockey Hadden Frost, brother of Bryony, tells Radio 5 live: "It's actually bigger to watch your sister win than ride one yourself. She always said she was better than us and she is starting to prove it."

BBC Radio 5 live

Winning jockey Bryony Frost: "It's emotional - he is an incredible horse and I can't quite believe it.

"I saw my dad and brother at the top of the hill and it made me emotional. It's unreal."

If the name of Pacha Du Polder is familiar, it is because Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton rode him in the same race on last year.

That was a great ride by Bryony Frost, who comes from a family steeped in racing, on the horse trained by Paul Nicholls and owned by the Stewart family.

Image source, Getty Images

Full result

1 Pacha Du Polder (Miss B Frost) 16-1 

2 Wonderful Charm (Ms K Walsh) 7-2 

3 Barel Of Laughs (Mr Alex Edwards) 100-1 

23 ran

Pasha Du Polder (16-1) takes the Foxhunters Chase at Cheltenham.

On The Fridge is moving up the field but Balnaslow leads with four to jump.

The leader with 12 fences still to go is Balnaslow under the experienced Derek O'Connor. The hat-trick-chasing On The Fringe is gradually improving.

And they are on their way in the Foxhunters Chase over the same course and distance as the Gold Cup.

After all of the drama of the Gold Cup, it is the turn of the amateur jockeys to take centre stage once again. 

Jamie Codd enjoyed two wins on Wednesday and could claim a third here with On The Fringe , who is bidding for a hat-trick in this race.

Katie Walsh has a great chance to her Cheltenham tally with the Paul Nicholls-trained Wonderful Charm who has won his last two races.

Image source, Rex Features

It's been a rout... and Willie Mullins has a theory why...

For all the joy surrounding the winner, there's also heartbreak for many others. Here's how Tea For Two and Lizzie Kelly came to grief at the second fence.

Image source, Reuters

1 Sizing John 7-1 R M Power

2 Minella Rocco 18-1 N D Fehily

3 Native River 7-2 R Johnson

4 Djakadam 3-1 Fav R Walsh

5 Saphir Du Rheu 33-1 Sam Twiston-Davies

6 More Of That 14-1 Aidan Coleman

7 Bristol De Mai 16-1 D A Jacob

8 Smad Place 50-1 Wayne Hutchinson

9 Champagne West 14-1 D J Mullins

10  Outlander 10-1 B J Cooper

DNF

Tea For Two 40-1 Lizzie Kelly

Cue Card 9-2 P J Brennan

Irish Cavalier 66-1 P Townend  

Sizing John earns a kiss from jockey Robbie Power, who is nicknamed 'Puppy'...

Image source, Reuters

Yet another win for Ireland at this year's Cheltenham - and what a performance from Sizing John. He just powered away from the field after the last and won by just under three lengths.

Image source, PA

BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, Reuters

Sizing John's trainer Jessica Harrington: "It's just amazing. Sizing John has gone from two miles at Christmas to three miles here.

"It's his jumping that got him here. I never seemed to have any stayers in the past. The team at home have been fantastic. I can't believe it - I have to get a Classic now." 

BBC Radio 5 live

Sizing John owner Alan Potts:  "It's unreal. It's a dream come true. Our first runner in the race, the jockey's first ride in the race and trainer Jessica Harrington's first horse in the race. It feels fantastic."