WITH the Cheltenham Festival just over a month away, this year's JCB Triumph Hurdle has attracted 91 entries, including 32 from Ireland and four from France.

Local trainer Alan King could saddle his third winner of the race in four years if recent course and distance winner Franchoek can justify current favouritism in the colours of JP McManus.

The gelding followed up his Grade One hurdle at Chepstow over Christmas with two successes at Cheltenham, impressively racing clear of his rivals in the Grade Two Juvenile Novices' Hurdle on Festival Trials Day last month.

The Barbury Castle handler is also represented by five others, including Squadron, who landed a Juvenile Novices' Hurdle at Sandown on his hurdling bow, and three times Flat scorer Emerald Wilderness.

Three entries by Paul Nicholls are headed by Newbury Novices' Hurdle winner Celestial Halo. The trainer's trio is completed by course and distance winner Five Dream and Pierrot Lunaire.

Lambourn trainer Nicky Henderson, who has won the Triumph three times, has entered exciting novice Binocular. The French Flat recruit opened his jumps account at Ascot earlier in the year.

His only other entry in the race is Doubly Guest.

The challenge from Ireland is headed by Harper Valley who has not been seen out since beating Franchoek by a length and a half in the Boylesports Juvenile Novices' Hurdle over the course and distance in December. Another Irish entry is Won In The Dark, who ran second to Alan King's runner over the course and distance in November.

The pick of David Pipe's seven entries is Ashkazar, a former flat winner in France ,while the Philip Hobbs-trained Grey Berry, a four-time Flat winner, heads the trainer's five entries together with I Predict A Riot.

The other Grade One novices' hurdles at the Festival, the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Ballymore Properties Novice Hurdle has also has been well supported. There are 130 entries for the Supreme Novices' and 156 entered in the Ballymore Properties Novices'.