Tim Vaughan is looking forward to seeing progressive hurdler Rev It Up step up to Grade Two company for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle over three miles on day two of The International at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The five-year-old was bought for £30,000 at Brightwells' Cheltenham April Sale earlier this year and is unbeaten in two starts for the Glamorgan handler, having won a three-mile contest at Chepstow on October 22 and posted an emphatic six-length success over the same distance at Ffos Las on November 21.
Vaughan reported: “Rev It Up is hopefully heading to Cheltenham on Saturday. He's fit and well - he bounced out of his latest run at Ffos Las - and we are hoping that he can continue to progress.
“He has done nothing wrong in two starts. He looks tough and really sticks his head down in his races. I couldn't be happier with him and I hope that he can step up to this sort of grade.
“We are just hoping for some rain before Saturday because the softer, the better for him but he will be fine on good or good to soft although he relishes a softer surface.
“He's a big, raw, old fashioned chaser in the making and is crying out for three miles and jumping fences at some point in the future.”
The Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle has a rich tradition of producing future top-class staying chasers, with subsequent Grand National winners Bindaree and Comply Or Die having captured the race in 1999 and 2003 respectively.
Iris's Gift took the spoils in 2002 before returning to Cheltenham to win the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at The Festival in 2004, while last year's winner Mossley also headed back to Cheltenham in March to take second in the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Day two of The International also features the £130,000 Grade Two StanJames.com International (3.05pm), a leading trial for the Stan James Champion Hurdle, and the £100,000 Grade Three Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup (2.30pm).
Action gets underway at 12.10pm with the £16,000 JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial and also features the £20,000 Ryman The Stationer Novices' Chase (12.45pm), the £25,000 Jenny Mould Memorial Handicap Chase (1.20pm) and the concluding Grade Two £30,000 Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle (3.35pm).
