Roulez Cool, favourite for the Christie's Foxhunter Chase, remains on target for the Cheltenham Festival despite suffering a slight setback.

The seven-year-old is owned and trained by Robert Waley-Cohen and is the general 3-1 market leader for the amateurs' event on Friday week. However, Waley-Cohen has been forced to put Roulez Cool on the easy list for a couple days due to a slight muscle problem.

The handler said: "He's had a bit of a setback which will interrupt his preparation a little. Cheltenham is still absolutely where we are aiming, but he has had a setback and will be on the easy list for 48 hours."

He added: "It's a muscle problem in his quarters, the gluteal muscle to be exact, which will require an easy 48 hours. Obviously with Cheltenham only a week away it is not perfect as we won't be able to do exactly what we want to do with him.

"I just wanted people to be aware that we have had this slight problem and there is just a slight pencil question mark against him, it's certainly not in ink. Cheltenham is the plan, we just wanted everyone to know there has been this interruption to his training."

Roulez Cool has not raced under Rules since finishing second at Uttoxeter last May but he has won a couple of times in point-to-point company.

The Christies Foxhunter Chase is the amateur riders' Gold Cup and the highlight of the Hunter Chase season. First run in 1904 and the tradition continues strong to the present day, in 1970 the distance was shortened from 4m to the now famous 3m2f 110yds, the course and distance of the Gold Cup. The field tends to be a combination of older experienced chasers nearing retirement and young pretenders from the point to point circuit looking to make the leap to racing under rules. Here, Chris Sleep, a regular writer for Hunter Chase experts Mackenzie & Harris, previews the 2010 renewal.

ROULEZ COOL
Officially rated 148 and was last seen under rules in May 2009 when he finished second to Russian Around and prior to that he had scored easily off a mark of 130 at Bangor in April 2009. Since then he has had training problems but bounced back from his absence to score at Chaddesley Corbett where he beat Back Is Back easily and then four weeks later at Larkhill, he beat Drybrook Bedouin and in the process displayed a fine battling attitude. He may not have been at his best for the Larkhill race as he was having his second race within a month after a long absence. Nevertheless, he has a realistic chance of seeing the trip out, and there is no reason why he will not. He is still on course for the race despite suffering a slight training set back and as a result of this he missed a few days work which is not the ideal preparation for a race at the Cheltenham Festival. Interestingly, Robert Waley-Cohen also has him entered in the Grand National.

BABY RUN
Was a tremendous third in this race 12 months ago under Sam Twiston-Davies, jumping well enough throughout before his stamina possibly ran out. He returned to Cheltenham in April but was beaten by Amicelli who was giving him 11lb’s. However, compensation awaited when he reversed form with that rival when scoring at Punchestown in May. He had Amicelli 7½ lengths behind in fourth that day and Southwestern was upsides when falling at the last. Southwestern then saw the 3m4f trip of the Horse and Hound Cup out better than him at Stratford on his final start of the season. A smooth victory at Warwick last month marked his return to action this season when he gave 8lbs and an 11 length beating to the formerly smart chaser Here’s Johnny. He is entitled to come on for that run and with his rider, Sam Twiston-Davies, looking stronger and more capable than at this time last year he has to be one of the leading contenders. His trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies has good each way prospects in the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle but rates this Baby Run as his best chance of a winner at the Festival in 2010.

TRUST FUND
Has already won a top class Hunter Chase, as he scored in the Aintree Foxhunters last April. After that smooth jumping victory he went on to score over the Cheltenham Foxhunters’ course and distance when narrowly getting the better of Take The Stand when giving him 3lbs. He is heading to Cheltenham without a prep run but that is unlikely to be a concern as his trainer Richard Barber is adept at getting horses ready first time out. He is not going to lack assistance from the saddle as one of the Greenall brothers will be on board. Richard Barber also has him engaged in the Grand National.

SERICINA
Trained and ridden by Chloe Roddick, Sericina scored in a Hunter Chase at Taunton last time in soft ground. She previously won two Point To Points at Wadebridge  and Buckfastleigh without coming off the bridle. She made her Hunter Chase debut a winning one beating on the face of it a poor field but got the job done impressively. Her jumping was not always fluent and around Cheltenham there is little margin for error so that is a minor concern. When winning her three races this year she demonstrated a tremendous turn of foot, another crucial asset in the Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase. She is sure to go well but her rider would not be among the strongest - which could become a telling factor in the closing stages.

KILTY STORM
A former David Pipe inmate was rated in the high 120s at his best. Since then he has been transferred back to Ireland (still with the same owner) where he has been successful in all three of his starts. In the first of those he beat Dun Doire who had the benefit of a previous run first time out off level weights at Dromahane. His second success came at Aghabullogue and much like his first win he recorded a good time in doing so. After his two Point wins he tried a Hunter Chase for the first time and scored impressively, jumping well and staying on strongly. Agus A Vic - who at this time was Ireland’s top Hunter Chaser - was 12 lengths back in third so the form is solid. His ability to stay long distances and jump well are sure to hold him in good stead should he run at Cheltenham.

DUN DOIRE
A former smart handicapper, he already has a Cheltenham Festival victory to his name - the 2006 William Hill Trophy - where he powered up the hill to score. He was beaten in his first four starts in the Pointing field this season including when second behind Kilty Storm off level weights, however, his last two outings have seen him visit the winners’ enclosure on both occasions. Sent off a short priced favourite for both of them he was clearly expected to score, but the level of form he has shown this season is some way behind that of Kilty Storm so he could struggle in this. On the plus side his stamina is clearly a strong suit and Nina Carberry will offer extra assistance from the saddle.

TURTHEN 
Recorded three point-to-point wins last season before running well in this race last year, finishing second. He rounded off his season with a couple of wins in modest Hunter Chases’ at Wincanton. Charles Fox’s charge made his seasonal reapperance at Larkhill and looked as if the run was needed and he was beaten by Theatre Diva. On his second start of the season he returned to the winners enclosure at Milborne St Andrew where he beat Kingsmill Lake easily in a respectable time looking back to his best. However, the one doubt about Turthen is his ability to see the trip out; he held every chance approaching the last fence in the race last year before his stamina ran out rapidly. He is sure to give a bold showing again but may only be competing for place money.

AMICELLI
Will be making his third appearance in the race having won it in 2008 and finished fourth last year. He comes here on the back of a win at Brocklesby Park, where he beat Teeton Bollinger by a short-head. That piece of form is not good enough to even reach the frame in this but it is likely he will be primed for the big occasion but whether he retains enough ability aged 11 to win the race is questionable.

OTHERS TO CONSIDER
Robber’s Glen finished fifth beaten 24 lengths in this race last year and will come to Cheltenham on the back of two successes in Hunter Chases at Wetherby and Kelso. He was very impressive at Wetherby showing a good turn of foot and may have found the race coming too quickly for him when running below form but still scoring at Kelso. Together with his owner-trainer-rider Val Jackson he is likely to run his race but may be playing for minor money only. He stays well and displays a good turn of foot, but must have soft ground.

Chestnut Annie, a prolific winning pointer recorded an all the way success at Ffos Las last time destroying a fair field, and she would have an each way chance if able to dominate and not get crowded, but that may be difficult to achieve in a race of this nature.

Gentle George comes here on the back of two wins in Hunter Chases but the form of those is fairly moderate and he is unlikely to be good enough. Rudi Trucker holds Dun Doire on a form line through Mattock Ranger but he is probably below standard. The form of his Hunter Chase win at Thurles amounts to very little.

Le Duc looks a shadow of his former self but is likely to give Jack Barber a pleasurable first Foxhunters experience. Southwestern was surprisingly beaten in a point –to-point last time out and it is possible he is on the downgrade.

Cappa Bleu

• Trainer: Mrs Edward Crow
• Jockey: Mr Richard Burton
• Owner: Mr & Mrs William Rucker
• Age: 7
• Weight: 12st 0lb
• Starting Price: 11/2
• Season Form Figures:
• Previous Best: Had only raced in point-to-points.

The combination of following a last-time-out winner aged under 11 that started life in the point-to-field has been licence to print money in the last 20 years. The age factor is the most important element as 17 of the last 19 winners were aged ten or younger from around half the runners so that make that your first port of call.

The fact that 19 of the 21 winners emerged from a pointing background will please the traditionalists.

I used to be massive on last-time-out winners in the Foxhunters’ given that they had been responsible for 14 of the 15 winners between 1986-2000 but four winners since the millennium were beaten on their previous start. However, the last two years has been much more like it by winning and dominating the place positions again. One big stat that was overturned last year was that the previous 15 winners had run under Rules.

The fact that 19 of the 21 winners emerged from a pointing background will please the traditionalists and also respect the Irish challenge having supplied nine of the 12 top-four positions between 2006-2008. For front runners to have a better than one-in-three strike rate in the last 14 runnings (won five times in that period) suggests in-running players may want to get involved in such runners but nailing the winner has been much harder than in the previous two decades when fancied runners won all the time as six of the last nine winners have started at no shorter than 14/1.

BABY RUN completed a memorable double for Nigel Twiston-Davies by leading throughout in the Foxhunters' Chase.

Completing the 3m 2f course in considerably faster time than his stablemate Imperial Commander had done in the preceding Gold Cup, Twiston-Davies's ten-year-old scored at odds of 9-2.

Partnered by the trainer's son Sam, Baby Run collected by five lengths from Kilty Storm, a 16-1 shot.

Reach For The Top, sent off at 66-1, was a further seven lengths back in third.
 
Baby Run was a smart hurdler last season - and he had won one of these at the Punchestown Festival in May - so his class was guaranteed.

His more recent chasing form had been sound, too, with a victory for a rating of 135 at Warwick in the bag, but that display seemingly left him with a good bit to find against the very best of these, headed by 148-rated Roulez Cool.

The Twiston-Davies team had either not checked out the BHA figures or had, in light of the terrific afternoon they were enjoying, chosen to ignore them, as Sam quickly got his mount out in front and set off at a searching gallop.

He did not jump entirely fluently and made a potentially costly error at the final fence.

But, despite getting very tired on the run-in, at one stage looking as if he might veer wildly under pressure, he stuck to his guns for a deserved success.

Kilty Storm, looking for his fourth win of the season after two point-to-point victories and a Leopardstown hunter-chase win, stayed on bravely, having been among the winner's closest pursuers throughout, while Reach For The Top, another prominent from flagfall, battled on resolutely all the way to the line.

On ground rapidly softening, few others made a serious impact.

Roulez Cool, for example, lost his chance with a series of mistakes.

He had at least 9lb in hand over all his rivals, according to official figures, and had collected on his last two starts.

His latest victory had come in Larkhill point-to-point, in which he had beaten Drybrook Bedouin, but his 148 rating had been earned in handicaps and they, as this event frequently demonstrates, are a very different discipline.