Sport - Cheltenham Festival
Written: 14th March, 2008
Kauto Star and Denman will take on 10 rivals in Friday's Cheltenham Gold Cup, the showpiece of the Festival.
The two eight-year-olds, both trained by Paul Nicholls, have never raced against each other, but are expected to cause a £30m betting frenzy.
Defending champion Kauto Star remains favourite for the race at 1530 GMT, with a best price of about 5-4.
Three horses dropped out on the morning of the race - Star De Mohaison, Racing Demon and Ollie Magern.
Should Kauto Star win, his connections will collect a £1m bonus for winning the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and Gold Cup in the same season.
Denman, who took the SunAlliance Chase in 2007, is a worthy contender and is unbeaten in eight chases, including the Hennessy Gold Cup and Lexus Chase this term.
Nicholls also has one other runner in the race - Neptune Collonges - who could challenge for third.
Source BBC news