THE BetVictor Gold Cup, the centrepiece of this weekend’s Open Meeting at Cheltenham, has long been one of the most popular handicap chases on the racing calendar.

Popular because of its propensity to throw up that Grade 1 or Grade 2 horse masquerading as a handicapper at the beginning of their second season chasing. Think Our Vic, Exotic Dancer, Imperial Commander and Al Ferof.

If there is to be a future Grade 1 winner among today’s field, it is likely to come from one of the top five in the weights, who are all progressive second-season chasers.

Of that quintet, Slate House is most interesting. Bought in the parade ring he’ll walk around today over two years ago, the £260,000 purchase has been disappointing on the whole for Colin Tizzard in his two novice seasons. But on his comeback run at the Showcase meeting, and first run since undergoing a wind operation, he bolted up over today’s course and distance (and similar going) in the hands of Robbie Power.

He resides at the top of the market alongside Siruh Du Lac, who was part of the golden hour on the third day of last season’s Festival. To her immense credit, Lizzie Kelly is back to ride the six-year-old, just over a month since breaking her arm in a fall at Exeter. The pair have combined to win six in seven, progressing from a mark of 112 to 150 in the process.

You have to go back to Edward O’Grady’s Tranquil Sea in 2009 to find the last Irish winner and before that it was all the way back to Michael O’Brien’s Bright Highway in 1980. Joseph O’Brien teams up with cousin JJ Slevin with Us And Them today. A perennial bridesmaid since going chasing, he’d be a deserving big-race winner.

Down the field there are lots of other potential nice stories, none more so than Guitar Pete. The nine-year-old feels like he has been around forever, maybe because Paul Carberry rode him to win a Grade 1 Anniversary 4-Y-O Hurdle at Aintree as a juvenile for none other than the legend Dessie Hughes.

Now trained by Nicky Richards but always owned by wife and husband Pat and Joe Sloan, the 2017 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup winner is not without a chance.

Russell overcomes the ‘molehill’

After many column inches over the last weeks, it’s business as usual as Davy Russell is back in the Gigginstown first colours this weekend with three rides including one on star novice Battleoverdoyen in the Grade 3 Florida Pearl Chase tomorrow.

Russell said in his StarSports blog yesterday: “There has been plenty written and said over the last few days about my relationship with Gigginstown. There was never a falling out and they use a big pool of very talented jockeys with no single retained first rider. It’s completely up to them who they choose to be on their horses and I’m just delighted to ride them when asked. I think a fair mountain has been made out of a molehill.”

Battleoverdoyen made an impressive debut over fences in Galway and takes on a useful field including Ted Walsh’s Any Second Now, winner of the Kim Muir at Cheltenham last year. As that March success was his only win as a novice, he still has his novice status up until next month.

Russell also partners another impressive last time out winner and Gigginstown first string in the Wexford scorer Eclair De Beaufeu in today’s Grade 2 Craddockstown Novice.

Mullins motoring along

Patrick Mullins might be a man in a hurry tomorrow. He heads to Cork for two short-priced favourites with Jon Snow in the 12.15pm maiden hurdle, won by some high class horses in the past including Sams Profile, Us And Them and Valseur Lido.

He is on board Grade 1 winning bumper mare Colreevy in the following maiden at 12.50. He then hot-foots it up to Punchestown to team up with another favourite in the Ted Walsh-trained Dewcup in the bumper at 3.50. That be a tip in itself for the Michael Ryan-owned gelding.

Compiled by Ronan Groome and Anne Marie Duff