Philip Hobbs believes Qaspal will need plenty of luck just to get a run at Cheltenham despite his battling victory in the Paddy Power Imperial Cup.

The JP McManus-owned gelding picked up a 5lb penalty for winning the big handicap hurdle at Sandown on Saturday, but he is still a long way off being guaranteed a run at the Festival.

The six-year-old holds entries in two races on Friday - the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle and the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.

It is particularly frustrating for connections as Qaspal's success at Sandown puts him in line for Paddy Power's £75,000 bonus should he go on to win a race at Cheltenham.

"He's absolutely fine, but he'll be lucky to get a run at Cheltenham by the look of it," said the Minehead handler. "We'll just have to play it by ear and see what happens during the week.

"It was amazing for AP (McCoy) to get down to that weight (10st 3lb)."

Hobbs also saddled runner-up Oldrik in the Imperial Cup and he holds the same two entries as Qaspal.

"He'll run there as well if he gets in, but he's got the same problem," the trainer added.

Qaspal ended Philip Hobbs' Paddy Power Imperial Cup drought and put himself in the reckoning for a £75,000 bonus when leading home a stable one-two at Sandown.

Champion jockey Tony McCoy wasted down to 10st 3lb and the betting public took notice by sending the JP McManus-owned six-year-old off as the 11-4 favourite.

Qaspal took issue with Oldrik jumping the second-last, but it was only climbing the hill that McCoy drove his mount into the lead and his willing partner rattled off a hat-trick with a two-length success.

The trainer's wife Sarah indicated the County Hurdle may be the preferred option if he is to bid for the big bonus at Cheltenham next week, but he is by no means certain to make the cut.

Mrs Hobbs said: "Hopefully we can double up at Cheltenham. We need to talk to the trainer and to JP to decide which race to go for, but we've gone down the County Hurdle route in the past."

McCoy added: "He was flat out all the way, but I always thought we would win from the last. The one thing you have to do here is come home well and to climb the hill. He lunged at the second-last, but the more he climbed, the more he picked up."

McCoy then teamed up with Bob Buckler to provide the West Country handler with his first winner for five weeks as the giant Mizzurka (4-1) landed her third win on the bounce in the DBS/EBF Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race Final.

Buckler said: "She has been my darling all the way along and everything has gone right with her. We have given her time to mature and have nurtured her. She's a lovely, classy, big mare and will make a super chaser in time.

"I have trained her specifically for this so I imagine that will be it for the season."

County Hurdle probable Songe will form part of a small squad for Charlie Longsdon at the Cheltenham Festival.

After a second disappointing attempt at novice chasing, Songe reverted to hurdles last weekend in the totesport Trophy at Newbury and finished 11th despite attracting plenty of each-way support.

Longsdon said: "I think what we have found is that he needs a bit further than two miles. He'll go for the County, which is two miles and one, and then hopefully on to the big two-and-a-half-mile race at Aintree."

He added: "He stayed on well at Newbury but it has always been difficult for him in handicaps ever since he won the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock last year."

Of his other runners, the Chipping Norton trainer added: "Far More is going for the four-miler and Palypso De Creek might run in the Kim Muir.

"I might try to find something for I Hear A Symphony as well."

THE Totesport Trophy has proved a cracking guide to the County Hurdle in recent years with four of the last eight winners having come straight from Newbury to win the two-mile thriller.

That's hardly surprising considering the race comes just five weeks before Cheltenham and is probably the hottest handicap of the season, often run on fairly similar ground and with the emphasis very much on speed.

You certainly need a quick horse in the County, especially if the ground is riding good or better, although be wary of possible short runners as they are likely to be found out by the hill.

Get Me Out Of Here, Ronaldo Des Mottes and Mamlook are the obvious candidates after finishing first, second and fourth in the Totesport but only the runner-up looks sure to take his chance as the other two have preferred engagements elsewhere at the Festival.

One horse who caught the eye at Newbury despite failing to make the frame was ANY GIVEN DAY and Donald McCain's grey looks overpriced at 20-1 or bigger for a race that should be right up his street.

A progressive middle-distance performer for David Simcock on the Flat two years ago, the gelding won his first three starts over hurdles and has continued to progress in handicaps, giving weight away to decent rivals when narrowly denied by Rajeh over 2m4f at Market Rasen and finishing third to James De Vassy back over 2m at Chepstow.

Having run well for a long way in the Challow Hurdle before his stamina eventually gave out over 2m5f in heavy ground, Any Given Day put up a fine effort to finish seventh in the Totesport considering he was squeezed out and shuffled back to last from a prominent early position.

With a smoother run he would probably have finished third or fourth and that puts him right in the mix here off the same mark when you consider the first two home have been put up 15lb and 9lb respectively.

Jason Maguire gave him time to regain his composure and having looked well out of it at halfway, he made a big move down the outside to dispute fourth approaching the last before not surprisingly flattening out, eventually beaten 11 lengths.

With a smoother run he would probably have finished third or fourth and that puts him right in the mix here off the same mark when you consider the first two home have been put up 15lb and 9lb respectively.

McCain is also considering the Coral Cup and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Hurdle, but both those races are over 2m5f and likely to be strongly run so his stamina would have to be taken on trust.

There are no such qualms about the County trip though and as he's guaranteed to get in I would hope this is the route he takes, especially as five-year-olds have such a good record in the race. Even so, backing him non-runner no-bet would seem the sensible option until plans are clarified.

The MCR Hurdle at Leopardstown, formerly the Pierse, has been Ireland's best guide and the first four home - Puyol, Tawaagg, C'Est Ca and Tarkari - all have County entries.

The ground will be very different at Cheltenham, so I'd be sceptical of the eight-year-old winner's prospects off a 15lb higher mark, but the other three are all trained by Willie Mullins and it will be interesting to see how he plays the race.

The likes of Tito Bustillo, Eradicate, Harry Tricker and Bellvano are prominent in the betting and have to be respected from stables that have a particularly good record in this type of race. But this is reflected in their prices and in such a tricky contest I prefer to look for better value. 

American Trilogy

• Trainer: Paul Nicholls
• Jockey: Ruby Walsh
• Owner: Fulton, Donlon, Kilduff & Scott-Macdonald
• Age: 5
• Weight: 11st 0lb
• Starting Price: 20/1
• Season Form Figures: 1349
• Previous Best: 3rd - Sharp Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2), Cheltenham.

Five-year-olds rated between 128-135 have won three of the last five runnings and there are unlikely to be too many of them so that is one quick-fire way of cutting this huge field to just a handful. Five-year-olds have actually won seven of the last 11 renewals from just a fifth of the total runners in that period so that is the stronger of the two patterns. Unlike the Coral Cup, a quiet season is not the order of the day as 15 of the last 16 winners had run at least four times earlier in the campaign.

The key guide has been the totesport Trophy which has highlighted four winners on the last six occasions the race beat the weather at Newbury.

The Irish have to be respected having won three of the last seven runnings though all seven of their contenders failed to get seriously competitive last season amidst cries of foul play from certain quarters aimed at the handicapper who was accused over giving them too much weight. If you go along with them then maybe you would prefer to look at novices as they have won five of the last 16 winners but that rather ties in with the superb record of five-year-olds.

The key guide has been the totesport Trophy which has highlighted four winners on the last six occasions the race beat the weather at Newbury followed by Ireland’s equivalent race, the MCR Hurdle, which has featured two of the last four County Hurdle winners. We must also respect the Imperial Cup should it line up here even though Dave’s Dream was an unplaced favourite 12 months ago when attempting to follow up his Sandown victory. Six horses have won the Imperial Cup and a Festival race the following week (five of which since 1985).

KATIE WALSH notched her second victory of the Festival with a powerful late thrust aboard THOUSAND STARS.

Ruby's younger sister, successful on Tuesday with 14-1 shot Poker de Sivola, scored here at odds of 20-1.

Arcalis (33-1) also finished strongly to grab third, ahead of the always-prominent Dee Ee Williams (20-1).

Zanir (50-1) faded tamely into fourth, after making ground easily two out, and Noble Prince came home fifth.

Thousand Stars had won twice previously this season, at Naas in October and Fairyhouse in November, but he had disappointed under Ms Walsh on his latest start at Leopardstown.

The ground had been very testing that day, though, and here, despite gentle rain startying to fall during this contest, underfoot conditions were obviously far more to his liking.

He pulled hard in the early stages, so Walsh did well to conserve his energy, but, after making progress coming down the hill, he burst to the front at the final flight and battled on bravely to collect by three lengths.

Arcalis, winner of a Supreme Novices' Hurdle in his younger days but out of form previously this season, took off like rocket on the run-in, having been a mile adrift turning for home, and he passed rival after rival in the closing stages.

Constantly threatened with retirement by trainer Howard Johnson, who considers him badly-handicapped, he now looks set to keep trying for his first victory since April 2007.

The sting in the tail for the Johnson camp, however, was a ban for whip abuse for jockey Denis O'Regan.

Dee Ee Williams, by contrast, had been in a prominent position from the start, chasing a decent pace set by Marodima, so the fact that he was able to hang on to third, as the closing pack worked hard to cut him down, confers great credit on him.

He stays farther than this and can score again in the near future, but fourth-placed Zanir looked as if might benefit from a return to an easier track.

He cruised into contention coming to two out, jockey Paddy Brennan seeming to have both hands full, but the six-year-old found precious little when asked for an effort in the closing stages and finished disappointingly tamely.