Sheena West is stepping up her preparations for the Cheltenham Festival.

She is enjoying her best season since she started training at Lewes five years ago, and has laid out four of her 18 horses for the National Hunt spectacular in seven weeks time.

Pride of place goes to Kalmini, a shrewd Newmarket July sales purchase who has won both her hurdle races and will go for the hat-trick at Cheltenham's one-day fixture tomorrow.

West said: "I'm so proud of her because, unlike her first win at Huntingdon, she had to fight at Taunton the other day and she beat horses running in the colours of two of the biggest owners, JP McManus and Sir Robert Ogden."

West's decision to take jockey Jamie Goldstein on full time has paid dividends.

He is there every morning to ride out and school and has formed a happy partnership with Kalmini, whose Cheltenham target is the Triumph Hurdle, which is the championship for four-year-olds.

West said: "She cost £14,000 at the sales but that is looking cheap now. Kalmini is by Rahy who is not noted for getting jumpers but Mick Channon, who trained her on the flat, encouraged me to buy her."

Now, Kalmini is among the favourites for the Triumph and West is ready to fend off potential buyers as Cheltenham approaches.

West said: "She is now owned by a syndicate, WRB Racing, and I doubt if the members, who are so looking forward to Cheltenham, would be interested in even a silly offer for her."

Second string for the National Hunt meeting is Screenplay who has had a good break after winning five hurdle races and will go for the three-mile novice event.

West said: "I was careful not to run him before his novice status could expire and, as it is, he will be among the more experienced horses in the race."

Screenplay is owned by a syndicate organised by Paul Hancock, who also owns Belita, another likely Cheltenham runner.

West said: "Belita had various problems which prevented her running until quite recently.

"But Paul has been so patient and was thrilled when she won at Warwick and went on to finish second at Cheltenham on New Year's Day. All being well, she will be back there in March."

Belita is a light-framed filly who would not take too much racing and West will take it easy with her in the build-up and not race her until the big day.

To complete the quartet, It's Wallace Junior, who is poised to begin a career over fences, will probably revert to hurdles for the three-mile Pertemps Handicap.

West said: "He might run over fences at Newbury on February 11 or at Folkestone three days later.

"But he would take a race over hurdles in his stride, he's an adaptable horse who jumps whatever you put in front of him."

Since the start of the season, West has acquired two more horses to bring her string to an unprecedented 18.

"I have to decide whether to take on another full-time member of staff," she says.

"Including Jamie and me, there are four of us at present but we are under maximum pressure.

"On the other hand, if I take on someone new and two horses go wrong we are looking at the difference between profit and loss."

With nine jumping winners and one from just three runners on the flat West is enjoying her best season and the expansion of Balmer Farm stables shows a steady upward trend so that the increase in staff is surely inevitable.

Daughter Megan, ten, is hardly old enough to take her place but she has outgrown her first pony and acquired a new one just before Christmas.

"Megan hadn't had him more than a few days when he flung her off and gave her concussion," said West.

"Of course, she was thoroughly checked out at the hospital and had to have two weeks off school but now she and Sunny are the best of mates.