SWINDON Supermarine chairman Jez Webb says it will be an emotional affair this afternoon when his horse, Duke of Medina, goes off in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle.

Webb’s parents had always dreamed of owning a Cheltenham Festival-worthy racehorse and eight months after his dad John passed away, the dream has finally been achieved.

Four-year-old Duke of Medina, whose sire also has footballing connections in the form of Alex Ferguson’s Rock of Gibraltar, is a 20/1 shot in the 4.50 race and Webb says they are not there just for the occasion.

“Mum and dad have been trying all their lives to breed a horse that is good enough to run at Cheltenham,” he said.

“Eight months after my dad passed away, they have finally got one, so it is going to be a bit of an emotional day for everyone but an exciting day.

“Cheltenham is so competitive and all the bookies have him and about 10 other horses at 20/1, so he could run into a place or he could be last - the bookies don’t know and we don’t know.

“All we know is that he has shown class in hot races, hence the reason why he is deservedly going to be there. We are not just running him for a day out.

“All the form of the race has worked out brilliantly and it won’t be a big shock if he does run into the top four on Wednesday.”

Meanwhile, England’s hopes of curtailing the Irish charge fall on Alan King’s Yanworth in the first race of the day.

Since finishing fourth in the Champion Bumper at the Festival last year, the Barbury Castle steed has gone from strength to strength and starts the day as the evens favourite to claim the Neptune Novices Hurdle under Barry Geraghty.

After landing his first two novice hurdles at prohibitive odds at Exeter and Warwick, Yanworth was again a very short price as he trotted up in the Grade Two Kennel Gate Novices’ Hurdle at Ascot.

Impressive though those victories were, Yanworth stepped up another gear when beating a strong field with consummate ease over an extended two-and-a-half miles in the Classic Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Festival Trials’ Day in January.

“We have brought him along steadily and then when we stepped him up to Grade Two company on Trials Day at Cheltenham in January, he produced a phenomenal performance against quality opposition,” the Barbury Castle handler told alankingracing.co.uk.

“He had done everything we asked of him over two miles, but bumper horses usually stay and we always felt that he would be even better when we moved up in distance.

“The ground was really testing that day, but he was always travelling and could not have been more impressive.

“He has speed and stamina, and we are looking forward to it.”