Two past winners take on four rivals in Fontwell's National Spirit Hurdle - preview and tips

Lil Rockerfeller - 2016 winner of the National Spirit Hurdle / Picture by Clive BennettLil Rockerfeller - 2016 winner of the National Spirit Hurdle / Picture by Clive Bennett
Lil Rockerfeller - 2016 winner of the National Spirit Hurdle / Picture by Clive Bennett
Lil Rockerfeller and Old Guard are each bidding to add a second National Spirit Hurdle success to their CVs at Fontwell on Sunday.

The Neil King-trained Lil Rockerfeller and Paul Nicholls’ Old Guard, which is owned by TV's Jeremy Kyle, are among six left in the frame for the £80,000 Netbet Casino-sponsored race, which is off at 2.50pm.

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Rockerfeller won it in 2016 and Old Guard last year, with the latter beating the former 12 months ago.

The contest has been run at Fontwell for more than 50 years and always draws a strong field.

The pair will be up against five other rivals - If The Cap Fits (trained by Harry Fry - likely to go off as one of the favourites), Ballynoy (Nigel Twiston-Davies), Vision Des Flos (Colin Tizzard) and Vive Le Roi (Tony Carroll). Sussex Ranger (Gary Moore) is now a non-runner.

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Fontwell clerk of the course Philip Hide said: “I think it’s a good-quality set of entries for a race which is always competitive.

“It looks an appealing race for trainers – quite open, I would say.”

The rest of the card has 53 runners across six races. The first race is off at 1.50pm - you can pay on the day.

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Lil Rockerfeller - 2016 winner of the National Spirit Hurdle / Picture by Clive BennettLil Rockerfeller - 2016 winner of the National Spirit Hurdle / Picture by Clive Bennett
Lil Rockerfeller - 2016 winner of the National Spirit Hurdle / Picture by Clive Bennett

Our tips: 150 Invicta Lake, 220 Diakali, 250 If The Cap Fits, 325 Zafar, 355 Seaston Spirit, 425 Shantou Flyer, 455 Thunderstruck.

See highlights from Fontwell's Valentine's Day meeting, above

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