Big guns hold sway for Cheltenham Gold Cup

Cue Card and Native River are among the 14 horses declared for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.Colin Tizzard's pair dispute favouritism for the blue riband along with the Willie Mullins-trained Djakadam.Cue Card came to grief three fences from the finish 12 months ago and has since won a third Betfair Chase at Haydock.The 11-year-old proved no match for stable companion Thistlecrack when chasing back-to-back victories in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, but got back on the winning trail at Ascot last month.His stablemate Native River has enjoyed a fantastic campaign thus far, winning the Hennessy at Newbury, the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and last month's Denman Chase at Newbury.Mullins has saddled the runner-up of the Gold Cup six times but has yet to taste victory.Djakadam has chased home Coneygree and Don Cossack in the last two Gold Cups and heads a formidable Irish challenge for this year's renewal.Jessica Harrington saddles her first runner in the race in Irish Gold Cup hero Sizing John, with Henry de Bromhead represented by Champagne West.Gordon Elliott has declared both Outlander and Empire Of Dirt, though the latter is set to instead line up in the Ryanair Chase on Thursday.Jonjo O'Neill saddles More Of That and Minella Rocco, while Bristol De Mai, Smad Place, Saphir Du Rheu, Tea For Two and Irish Cavalier complete the field.