STAR Australian jumper Black And Bent will not be flying the Australian flag at the Cheltenham carnival next month, instead spending another winter at home before a tilt overseas next year, reports the Sunday Age. It says: But Australia will still be represented at the huge English jumps festival, thanks to forgotten steeplechaser Pentiffic. The gelding, now a nine-year-old to United Kingdom time, carried all before him during the winter of 2009 when he last raced over obstacles in Australia, no

STAR Australian jumper Black And Bent will not be flying the Australian flag at the Cheltenham carnival next month, instead spending another winter at home before a tilt overseas next year, reports the Sunday Age.

It says: But Australia will still be represented at the huge English jumps festival, thanks to forgotten steeplechaser Pentiffic. The gelding, now a nine-year-old to United Kingdom time, carried all before him during the winter of 2009 when he last raced over obstacles in Australia, notching a hat-trick in the Hiskens Steeplechase, the Grand National Steeple and the Crisp Steeple in the hands of jockey Trent Wells.

Back then the horse, owned by Racing Victoria board member Peter Sinn, was trained by Fran Houlahan, daughter of the great jumping trainer Jim Houlahan, and her partner, Brian Johnston.

He looked to have the world before him but it all went horribly wrong in the autumn of 2010 when the Pentire galloper broke down in Japan when being set for the Nakayama Grand Jump.

But Sinn, determined to see just how good the horse was, gave him plenty of time to recover and shipped him to England to be prepared by leading jumps trainer Venetia Williams, who numbers a Grand National triumph with 100-1 shot Mon Mome among her successes.

And Sinn is now confident that Pentiffic can perform creditably at Cheltenham where he will probably be aimed at one of the rich novice steeplechases.

His English career began just before Christmas in rather unpromising fashion when he ran down the track in a novices chase at Uttoxeter before a better effort on New Year's Day to finish fourth in another novice event at Exeter.

Pentiffic then delivered a major upset last month in a 4000-metre race at Huntingdon when, starting at 16-1, he outjumped the 1-4 favourite Problema Tic to win by a head. He showed that was no fluke last weekend when, at the tough Cheltenham track over 4200 metres, he jumped well and stayed on strongly to run third in a novices handicap.

Sinn says that a tilt at a race such as the Gold Cup or the Grand National would be a bit optimistic this year, but if Pentiffic continues to improve, they could, especially the National, be on the agenda next year. But for now he is looking forward to the Cheltenham festival in mid-March.