BRILLIANT bay geldings Cobreces and Patches will be sent to post at the Cheltenham Festival today with the hopes of West Dorset on their shoulders.

The dynamic duo, who have thrilled crowds on the Wessex point-to-point and hunter chase circuit this season, hold entries in the Christies Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup.

And both have a realistic chance of bringing the shining silverware, commonly referred to as the Gold Cup for amateurs, back to the racing mad region.

Cobreces, owned and trained by Stoke Abbott's Lucia and David Borradaile, finished 12th in the race last year but it was later discovered he was carrying a tendon injury, which has subsequently been repaired.

Patches makes his debut today but runs for Seaborough's leading point-to-point trainer Richard Barber, who won the race no less than four times in the 1990s.

After a week of glorious sunshine the ground is likely to be firmer than Cobreces would like. But following some careful consideration his owners are almost certain to give him his chance, under the expert guidance of jockey Jamie Snowden.

"There is only one Cheltenham Festival," said Lucia Borradaile.

"We sent a text to Jamie having watched the Kim Muir (Wednesday), because he was in it.

"He thought they were going quite fast but at the moment we are feeling that we are going to go.

"It will still be on the soft side of good," she added. "So it won't be as fast as it was last year.

"And if you are not in the race you can't win it. Anything can happen - it is one of those races."

Patches collected a quickfire double on the point-to-point circuit this season under Rachael Green.

And the eight-year-old will be hoping to reclaim the crown nine years after Barber's last success with Earthmover, ridden by Joe Tizzard.

Rushing Wild opened Barber's account in 1992 when he destroyed the field to win by 25 lengths at 9-1.

It was Rushing Wild's first run under rules and, after switching to Martin Pipe's Nicholashayne yard, he went on to finish second in the Gold Cup under Richard Dunwoody the following season.

Fantus blasted to a 20-length victory in the 1995 renewal before outstaying favourite Cab On Target to lift it for a second time in 1997.

And Barber completed his quartet of wins with Earthmover's victory the in 1998 when Fantus, in an attempt to land a treble, pulled up.

This season the biggest threat to the pair comes from the Emerald Isle. Whyso Mayo returns to defend the title he won last season and is certain to go off as a hot favourite.

"He will be the favourite without a doubt," said Lucia Borradaile. "There are several other horses that are all very good. Bica, the Waley-Cohen horse, Honourable Spider they like and First Down Jets as well.

"But we don't want to go just for the run, we want to go to do well."