Al Boum Photo and Champ among 13 Cheltenham Gold Cup confirmations

Defending champion Al Boum Photo is one of 13 runners on course for the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup after Saturday's confirmation stage for the final day of the Cheltenham Festival, with leading players Champ and A Plus Tard still involved.

Novice chaser Royale Pagaille, who holds entries in Tuesday's National Hunt Chase and Wednesday's Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, remains in the Gold Cup with connections yet to commit to a final target.

Taken out of Friday's showstopper is Ryanair Chase second favourite Imperial Aura and Vinndication – both trained by Kim Bailey – along with the only two mares entered, Magic Of Light and Shattered Love, who are instead both being aimed at the inaugural Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase on the same day.

Ryanair-bound Allaho, Real Steel, Saint Calvados and Samcro were also removed along with outsiders Battleoverdoyen and Burrows Saint.

Duffle Coat is the most notable absentee among 12 confirmed for the JCB Triumph Hurdle, with Tritonic, Zanahiyr, Quilixios and Adagio all remaining in contention.

Cheltenham Friday card

Impressive River Don winner The Cob has been supplemented for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle by Ben Pauling, while leading fancies Stattler, Barbados Buck's and Fakiera also featured among the 18 runners.

Pauling said: "He's been a huge improver this season and I didn't go into this season thinking he'd hit these heights but he has. He won very well last time where the step up to three miles was a big plus.

Ben Pauling, trainer of The Cob (above) said: 'I didn't go into this season thinking he'd hit these heights but he has'Credit: Tim Goode (Getty Images)

"He's not only come out of that race well but I think he's improved so we're very happy to supplement him and take our chance."

Bookmakers make The Cob a best-priced 20-1 shot for the Grade 1 contest, and Pauling hopes the £4,687 fee to supplement can prove a good investment in an open race.

He added: "It's a race without a star name at the moment and it's quite often that sort of race. At times, it's won by a horse that's just improving and hasn't shown its full potential yet.

Elimay, ante-post favourite for the Mares' Chase, is one of 13 runners still entered in the Grade 2, along with stablemate Colreevy and the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Annie Mc..

Elsewhere, 45 remain in the McCoy Contractors County Hurdle, 19 in the Hunters' Chase and 70 in the Martin Pipe, including Langer Dan, who coasted to victory in the Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown on Saturday.

Langer Dan: Imperial Cup winner faces an uphill battle if he is to qualify for the Martin Pipe Handicap HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Cheltenham clerk of the course Simon Claisse provided an update on ground conditions ahead of the festival with the going now good to soft, soft in places all over.

He said: "Until Wednesday, we'd had our driest spell since October, and believe it or not the ground was nearly good.

"We've had about 22mm of rainfall since then. The outlook, though, is mostly dry with just the odd shower and it will be relatively cool, nine or ten degrees, rather than getting very warm."

Asked if he saw the ground getting quicker than good to soft, Claisse added: "I think that may happen during the week, whether or not we get there by Tuesday, I don't know. It depends what we get in showers. I think it'll be a mixture of probably good to soft and good in places on Tuesday, or maybe it will be the other way around."

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