WILL Trustan Times be the horse to get North Yorkshire off the mark at the Cheltenham Festival today?

Tim Easterby’s nine-year-old runs in the Pertemps Network Final at the home of National Hunt racing (2.05pm) and the close-up fourth in the race last year has been attracting money as the contest moves closer.

Ridden by James Reveley, the gelding is currently as short as 16-1 with some bookmakers having started the day at 22s.

Yet to make the frame in any of his five runs so far this season, Trustan Times did finish fifth in the Grade 3 Grand National trial at Haydock last month and Great Habton-based Easterby knows he is a better performer in the spring.

The trainer also saddles Run Ructions Run in the three-mile £80,000 contest over the New Course and the six-year-old, partnered with hold-up expert Paul Carberry, has been a runner-up three times this season.

Easterby has been in excellent recent form, and won at last year’s Festival with Hawk High - a 33-1 victor of the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle.

That horse is set to run in the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle tomorrow and is hoping the ground will suit his subsequent Grade 2 winner.

“I’ve been pleased enough with him this season,” he said. “The better ground will suit our horse and he showed last year that he can cope with a big field.”

On his Pertemps pair today, Easterby added: “They are both well. Trustan Times just lost his place at the top of the hill (last year), but he came home really well. If he could hold his place better this time, who knows?

“Whatever happens at Cheltenham, his main aim again is the Scottish Grand National next month. Run Ructions Run is tough, she stays three miles and I could see her running well.”

Having seen Cape Tribulation finish 20th in the Grade 3 Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase on Tuesday, Norton trainer Malcolm Jefferson returns to Prestbury Park with Attaglance in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (4pm).

The nine-year-old, who will have Brian Hughes in the saddle, won at the National Hunt spectacular three years ago and was beaten in controversial fashion 12 months ago.

He trailed by half-a-length by Present View in the Listed Rewards4Racing Novices’ Chase at the finish but Jefferson believed the places should have been reversed after Present View appeared to come across Attaglance as he looked to fly through a gap at a crucial time.

Having struggled for form through the winter, Jefferson’s horses have now struck six times from the handler's last 14 runners and he will be hopeful Attaglance can run a big race on a course he clearly loves.

“He seems very well,” said the trainer. “Although he hasn’t run since the middle of December and has had only two races this season, I would sooner have him like that than be going there with a horse who had been hard-raced. He’s been going around that long gallop (on Langton Wold). He’s fine.

“The ground is important to him, as he’s a horse who likes decent ground. It’s very tough to win down there. You need luck on your side and you need everything to go well.”