HEREFORDSHIRE jockey Richard Johnson will be seeking his second Gold Cup win at Cheltenham tomorrow.

Johnson will be riding Native River for in-form trainer Colin Tizzard and the horse, who has already triumphed in this season's Hennessy Gold Cup and Welsh Grand National, holds his best chance of success, 17 years after his previous win in the blue riband event aboard Looks Like Trouble.

Native River produced game front-running staying performances to score in the Hennessy and Welsh National, prompting Johnson to initially think a tilt at the Grand National would be his ideal target.

But a recent win at Newbury has reaffirmed the belief that the improving seven-year-old has the pace and class needed to win over three-and-a-quarter miles and give Johnson his second win.

Another horse that Johnson has partnered in the past is hurdler Defi du Seuil, who is in the stable of Johnson’s main trainer Phillip Hobb.

The well-fancied runner in tomorrow's JCB Triumph Hurdle is owned by leading owner J P McManus and is set to be ridden by his retained jockey Mark Walsh with Johnson, who has scored on the progressive four-year-old before on stand-by in case of injury.

Johnson claimed a win at Cheltenham yesterday in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

Flying Tiger, a 33/1 shot, jumped the final flight to beat the 9/2 favourite Divin Bere.

It was Johnson's 21st success at the Festival.

"There's no such feeling as a winner here," he said.

"I didn't have a winner at Cheltenham last year so it's nice to get off the mark this year.

"Cheltenham is a very special place and it doesn't matter if it's a juvenile race, the bumper or the Gold Cup, they are all hard to come by and you need to appreciate every single one of them because they are all very special."

Kings Caple trainer Venetia Williams is in fine form and has multiple entries in the concluding Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase tomorrow.

Zamdy Man and Eminent Poet are both entered and hold chances, while Byton trainer Kerry Lee’s Gino Trail is also engaged and may take his chance re-opposing with his recent conqueror Zamdy Man .

Today’s feature race, the Sun Bets Stayers Hurdle, sees Tom Scudamore, prevented from riding the one-time Gold Cup favourite Thistlecrack due to the chaser picking up an injury, looking for winners from his retained stable of David Pipe.

The best of these may be aboard West Approach, who has a strong chance of finishing in the first three.

However, heading the betting market is Unowhatimeanharry, who is well fancied to take the honours.

Earlier in the day in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle, Johnson partners the consistent six-year-old For Good Measure, who should give a good account of himself at a big price in the three mile event having produced three good recent runs, including a good second place at the Cheltenham track.