IRELAND warmed up for next week’s Cheltenham Festival by celebrating victory with Surprise Package in the Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown on Saturday.
This was a result that British trainers certainly did not want to see but they were glad to hear Irish-trained horses could not board Saturday’s ferry for Cheltenham as the sea was too rough.
But they will get there, much to the disappointment of Nicky Henderson along with his training colleagues, in light of the Irish domination at last year’s Festival when they won 23 of 28 races.
