Toby Balding declared of Kendal Cavalier: "This is the Millennium Grand National winner.''

That bold statement was made some five years ago but Balding's uncanny eye for detail has already been clearly vindicated.

Kendal Cavalier, then a novice hurdler, has already won one 'national', the '98 Welsh National. Unfortunately it didn't carry the legend 'Winner trained by G Balding, Fyfield'.

The grey's colourful owner Michael Wingfield-Digby had moved to Devon and naturally wanted the horse to be locally trained. So Kendal Cavalier came into the hands of Rod Millman before being switched to another West Country trainer in Nigel Hawke who within a week scored the greatest success of his career with Kendal Cavalier at Chepstow.

But now the wheel has turned full circle and the horse is back at Fyfield, near Andover, and due to make his seasonal reappearance in a three-mile plus chase at Cheltenham this Saturday.

"He is very well forward,'' said Balding's assistant Jonathan Geake. "Ideally he wants it soft and obviously he will go for the National next year. He ran very well in the race in April, finishing eighth after nearly being brought down at Becher's second time.''

The National Hunt season gets into top gear at Cheltenham this weekend the curtain having come down on the 1999 turf Flat season last Saturday, but sadly some of Balding's big guns are temporarily muzzled.

Tendon trouble has sidelined Brave Tornado who was injured three weeks before the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, the useful three-year-old Noble Demand who had been earmarked for the Triumph Hurdle, and smart novice chaser Peveril Pendragon.

However, as one door closes so another opens and an intriguing newcomer to the yard is Bilverdim who, on the strength of his impressive Punchestown debut in February, was heavily backed down to favouritism in the Cheltenham Festival bumper.

But the Irish invader finished ninth out of 25. He then had one more run in a bumper and again disappointed.

"He joined us about two months ago,'' said Geake. "The owner sent him to us and he will go novice hurdling but won't run until after Christmas.''

Geake will understandably have a special interest in the three-year-old East Hill, bred by his father Tony who owned Champion Hurdler Beech Road. ''He was bought at the National Hunt Yearling Sales at Fairyhouse and he's been showing us on the gallops that he's no slouch. He will run in a bumper early next year.''

Another purchase from Ireland is Restless Wind who the stable hope will be good enough to run in the four-mile National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham. Balding saw him win a point-to-point and considered the seven-year-old ideal material for an American syndicate.

Southampton, who returned to winning ways at Plumpton and Newton Abbot this season, has recently been laid off with a minor muscle injury. He is now back cantering and will have one run over hurdles before resuming chasing.

"He can't have it too firm and it must be on the soft side of good,'' said Geake who knows the nine-year-old is becoming a bit of a character. "If his mind is right, he's okay but he's been around for a long time and he can jack it in if he has to struggle. There is no real target with him.''

Among the host of novice hurdlers are Bronzino who has won a ten-furlong race on the Flat, Vancouver Isle, who had reasonable Flat form with Jim Bolger in Ireland, and Kambala who made a pleasing debut in a Newton Abbot bumper.

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