A huge roar goes up for the curtain raiser and it’s then usually been a case of which Irish trained horse will triumph.
*Raiders from over the water have won seven out of the of the last 10 renewals
*Twelve of the last 14 winners have all won last time out, which doesn't augur well for the red hot favourite Cue Card
*10 of the last 11 winners have been seen on the track in the last 45 days.
The home team, who struck with Menorah last year, again look to hold a strong hand with the likes of last year's Champion bumper winner Cue Card, totesport Gold Trophy scorer Recession Proof and the Nicky Henderson trained duo of Spirit Son and Sprinter Sacre.
Best of the Irish look to be the Willie Mullins pair of Zaidpour and Day Of A Lifetime.
