By George Winbury
THE countdown to the Cheltenham Festival is not only on – it appears to be counting down with extra acceleration by the day.
Less than three weeks to go now – and a lot of the leading perpetrators are on show in Shropshire today.
None of the horses entered for Cheltenham will be at Ludlow on Wednesday for the Racing TV Members Day – but plenty of the jockeys and trainers are.
Ben Pauling has had to suffer the pain of having to withdraw Harry Redknapp’s The Jukebox Man from Cheltenham due to injury, but he has the odds-on favourite No Questions Asked in the opener, a race that also features several local runners, Stan Sheppard riding Tracking Treasure for dad Matt, Charlie Deutsch on board for Mel Rowley’s The Dancing Lass, Sam Twiston-Davies in the plate for Henry Daly’s Kershaw County,  while Alastair Ralph has a runner, Following Chapter, and Richard Patrick rides Welcheston Warrier for Clive Boultbee-Brooks.
Sean Bowen, the current leader in this season’s Jockeys Championship, has the favourite in the second, Pike Road for Martin Keighley.
But Nico de Boinville, on Doctor Midas for Nicky Henderson, and Harry Cobden, on Keel Strand for Paul Nicholls, both have their only ride of the day.
In the 3.00, Daly’s Regal Renaissance, a winner at Warwick in November after a fourth and a second at Ludlow, has Twiston-Davies saddled up and looking to get back in the winners’ enclosure after being out of the frame on his last two runs.
This week’s meetings in the Midlands
Tuesday 18 February
Wolverhampton (All Weather/Flat)
First race: 4:20
Last race: 8:30
Wednesday 19 February
Ludlow (Jumps)
First race: 2:00
Last race: 5:13
Warwick (Jumps)
First race: 1:15
Last race: 4:45
