Valley Henry in Pillar Chase bid

High-flying Durham trainer Howard Johnson has added another fascinating dimension to Saturday's Cheltenham card by announcing that Valley Henry will head south to take on Jair du Cochet and Therealbandit in the Pillar Property Chase.

The talented nine-year-old fell when travelling comfortably with a mile to run in the King George at Kempton on his debut for Johnson but is none the worse according to his handler.

"He looked grand when we worked him this morning and the Pillar will give us a good idea of whether we've got a Gold Cup horse," he said. "I've always loved Jair du Cochet, but Martin Pipe's horse Therealbandit is the one to beat. He looked a real star when he came up that hill at Cheltenham the other week and he's getting weight from all of us on Saturday."

Recent racecourse gossip has suggested that Valley Henry's big spending owner Graham Wylie is aiming to add a leading Champion Hurdle contenderto his growing string. Johnson confirmed the rumour today but added that no deal is imminent.

"We did have a go at one but it didn't come to anything. You never know what might happen in this game, but it doesn't look like we'll have one for this year's race."

Meanwhile, Irish trainers have signalled their intention to land the world's most famous steeplechase for the fourth time in the last six years by supplying 30 of the 122 entries for the Martell Grand National.