The Cheltenham Festival is in full swing as tens of thousands of racing fans descend on the Gloucestershire course for one of the biggest weeks in the racing calendar.
There’s also plenty of interest from the footballing world, not least from legendary former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been a staple at the festival since his retirement from football in 2013.
The Scot has no less than five horses running this week as he looks to sprinkle his Old Trafford magic on the famous four-day event.
Three of these go on Thursday, with Hitman tipped for success in the Ryanair Chase at 2.50pm by legendary trainer Paul Nicholls.
“Good to soft ground would be ideal for both of mine in the Ryanair as neither of them want extreme conditions,” Nicholls told Betfair. “Hitman had his issues last season but still finished a close third in this race 12 months ago. He had a wind op in the summer and I was thrilled with his latest run over three miles at Newbury where he cruised into contention before tiring late on.
“He is spot on now, in a really good place at the moment which wasn't the case a year ago.”
Here is a look at the rest of Sir Alex’s runners over the final two days of the festival.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Cheltenham runners
Thursday (March 14)
2.10pm: Pertemps Network Final - Monmiral
2.50pm: Ryanair Chase - Protektorat and Hitman
4.10pm: TrustATrader Plate - Il Ridoto
Friday (March 15)
2.10pm: County Handicap Hurdle - L’Eau Du Sud
5.30pm: Martin Pipe Handicap - Sonigino (TBD)
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