Cheltenham Festival: Cromwell looks to 2021 winners

Last year's heroes Flooring Porter and Vanillier will lead Gavin Cromwell's raid on the Cheltenham Festival.

Stayers' Hurdle victor Flooring Porter and Albert Bartlett scorer Vanillier were among the horses the Navan trainer worked at Fairyhouse on Monday.

Flooring Porter bids to retain his Stayers' crown while Vanillier is a leading fancy for the National Hunt Challenge Cup.

"The Cheltenham horses worked yesterday morning in Fairyhouse and it went well so I was happy with that," Cromwell told Sky Sports Racing.

Of Flooring Porter, he said: "Danny Mullins rode him yesterday morning. He made him walk for a quite a while before he jumped off and he behaved very well. It was all about experience yesterday.

"He certainly has grown up. He wore a red hood a the start at Leopardstown. That worked well and he'll certainly have that on for Cheltenham. I'm confident he'll be OK.

"I know Klassical Dream got beat in Galway the last day, but it was a massive run at Christmas and if he can reproduce that he's going to take a lot of beating. Champ, I know he has to bounce back as well. He's a very good horse in his own right."

Cromwell is hoping Vanillier can overcome a disappointing run at Naas last time.

"He's a funny horse. The same thing happened with him last year. He ran a stinker at the Dublin Racing Festival and bounced back from it," he said.

"Derek O'Connor rode him yesterday. He jumped six fences and worked and galloped. He did a nice piece of work and I'm delighted with him.

"He could be one of those horses that comes right in the spring. He seems to be in a good place at the moment so hopefully we can get him there. The way he worked yesterday, if Cheltenham was this week I'd be happy, so if we can keep him like that it would be