MALCOLM JEFFERSON will fly the flag for Ryedale on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday - and the Norton trainer's horses couldn't have picked a better time to hit top form.

Having endured a frustrating season, admitting his string "weren't right" in the early part of the campaign, the Newstead Stables handler has been hammering in the winners over recent days - Grey Life's victory at Carlisle on Thursday following a double at Newcastle and a winner at Sedgefield.

Jefferson will saddle Cape Tribulation in the Grade 3 Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase as the four-day National Hunt spectacular gets into full swing and the 11-year-old, set to be ridden by Brian Hughes, knows how to win at Prestbury Park.

Cape Tribulation took the Listed Pertemps Final in 2012 before finishing a highly creditable fifth in the showpiece Gold Cup 12 months later. Now he will go for glory again over three miles and one furlong as Jefferson takes down a trio of runners completed by fellow Festival winner Attaglance (Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate) and Firth Of The Clyde (AP McCoy Grand Annual Chase).

Jefferson said: "The horses weren't right earlier in the year, we have a lot of young horses as well and we've had bad ground all winter. They seem to be coming right now and hopefully the young ones will come good on the better ground in the spring.

"We have three going down to Cheltenham and they're all in great form, but as we know, the racing is very tough down there. I'm very happy with them, so we'll see what they can do."

With Aurore D'Estruval pulled out of the OLBG Mares' Hurdle on Tuesday by Jefferson's neighbour John Quinn after a training setback, it is Carole's Spirit, trained by former Sheriff Hutton-based jockey Robert Walford in Dorset, who will take on the odds-on favourite Annie Power.

The seven-year-old is set to be ridden by Daryl Jacob.

Definitly Red remains among the entries for the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, which kicks off the second day of the Festival on Wednesday, but trainer Brian Ellison has previously stated his preferred target is the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle on Friday.

The six-year-old's participation in either event will depend on the ground not firming up significantly over the next few days as Norton-based Ellison, sending arguably his strongest team south, looks to record his first Festival winner.

David O'Meara's Rose Of The Moon, North Yorkshire's only entrant in the Grand National, is among 21 still engaged for the marathon Glenfarclas Handicap Chase over the challenging cross country course.

The Nawton-based ten-year-old will have to negotiate just short of four miles of fences, hedges and other obstacles to land the lion's share of the £60,000 prize in a contest where Martin Keighley's Any Currency is the market leader.

The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, won last year by Great Habton-based Tim Easterby with Hawk High, could see Ryedale representation in the shape of Quinn's Mr Gallivanter.

Ellison has also entered Full Day and Top Of The Glas, but the latter is unlikely to get into the Grade 3 contest and will more likely be sent to the Triumph Hurdle on Friday.