Rising stars Calgary Bay and Carruthers spearhead the local challenge at next week’s Cheltenham Festival.

Calgary Bay, from Henrietta Knight’s West Lockinge stables, near Wantage, is the first to put his burgeoning reputation on the line when he tackles the Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase (2.05) on Tuesday.

And 24 hours later, Carruthers, from Mark Bradstock’s nearby Letcombe Bassett stables, will do battle in the RSA Chase (2.40) over an extended three miles.

Calgary Bay has sandwiched an impressive win in the Grade 2 Dipper Novices’ Chase over two miles and five furlongs at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day in between two second places over the minimum trip from his three starts this term.

It has seen the strapping six-year-old elevated to joint 5-1 favouritism with Tatenen for Tuesday’s contest.

However, Knight admits that the two miles of the Arkle Trophy is far from suitable for Calgary Bay, who she believes won’t realise his full potential until he tackles longer distances as he gets older.

“It isn’t ideal to put a stayer back to two miles,” she said. “But I don’t like the SunAlliance as a stepping stone for the future.”

Knight though can take encouragement from the fact that Calgary Bay has shown a preference for left-handed tracks with both his wins coming at Cheltenham – and with Tony McCoy, who is set to ride again, in the saddle.

“He is in great form,” she added. “It all depends on luck. He is in there with a fighting chance.”

While Knight is wary of the demands of the RSA Chase, Bradstock is happy to let proven stayer Carruthers take his chance.

The six-year-old has won two of his three starts over fences and turned in a superb display when landing the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novices' Chase at Ascot last month in heavy going.

But Bradstock doesn’t believe his charge needs testing conditions.

“He came out of the Ascot race in really good form, and he won on reasonably good ground at Fakenham a couple of starts ago,” he said.

No-one knows Carruthers – the 8-1 third favourite – better than Bradstock’s wife, Sara, who rides him out every day.

She believes he is a more powerful horse than when he disappointed in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Festival 12 months ago.

“Last year it was very tacky and he was only five and he had had quite a hard season,” she said. “He is much stronger. He is very fresh and he is very well. He is 100wt heavier than last year.”