Shropshire’s Cheltenham Festival heroes Noland and Neptune Collonges will be retired at the end of this season – but not before taking aim at two of National Hunt racing’s biggest prizes, writes JAMES GARRISON.

Cosford businessman and owner of the duo John Hales has confirmed plans to call time on the careers of the two 10-year-olds at the end of the current campaign, but hopes they can bow out with a bang.

Noland, who won the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Festival in 2006, is now fully recovered from a fractured pelvis suffered when he won the Aon Chase at Newbury in February and will be targeted for a Christmas cracker in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day.

And Neptune Collonges, who finished third behind Kauto Star and Denman in the 2008 Gold Cup, will be aimed at the Grand National at Aintree next April, should his handicap mark be eased during the season.

The pair have won almost £1m in prize money for Hales, and the owner admitted: “This will certainly be their last season.

“They have had wonderful careers and I want to make sure they have wonderful retirements.”

Of the next generation of Hales stars, last season’s Supreme Novices winner Al Ferof will go chasing while the owner is also excited about new recruit Italian Master who won one point-to-point in Ireland and is due to go novice hurdling after Hales splashed out £240,000.