AT least we know that it’s going to be testing at Cheltenham today. Cheltenham is a quick-draining track for sure, but there are not many racecourses that would go from unraceable on Friday to anything other than heavy or soft-to-heavy on Saturday.

At least it’s going ahead, which is great news.

We know that BetVictor Gold Cup (joint) favourite Slate House will handle the ground anyway. It was heavy when he and Robbie Power danced to victory in the handicap chase on the Saturday of Cheltenham’s October meeting. That was a career-best performance, his first run after a wind operation, and it was just his fifth run over fences. You can understand why he is towards the top of the market for today’s race.

However, that race may not have taken that much winning in the end, and a 12lb hike was not lenient. Slate House is probably going to have to improve again if he is going to win today.

Siruh Du Lac is a player, he was four-for-four over fences last season, he beat Janika at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, and he beat him again in the Brown Advisory Plate at the Festival in March.

However, he was raised by 9lbs for that win, which means that he is going to have to step forward again. He is progressive, and he could easily step forward, and we may not have got to the bottom of him yet, and the fact that Lizzie Kelly has made it back on time to ride him is a positive, but he is short.

Moving nicely

At a bigger price, Spiritofthegames could represent better value. Dan Skelton’s horse finished a close-up third behind Siruh Du Lac and Janika in that Brown Advisory Plate, and a 3lb hike means that he meets the winner on 6lb better terms for a three-length beating. More than that, however, he raced in rear early on in a race in which it was probably an advantage to race handily.

He made nice ground from the rear that day along the inside, and he moved nicely in behind the leaders at the top of the home straight, but he had done a lot of running to get there, and he just couldn’t reel the leaders back in. Even so, it was a fine run.

He disappointed next time in the Manifesto Chase at Aintree, but bled that day, so you can easily allow him that.

He has had a wind operation in the meantime, and it is probable that his trainer has had this race in mind for him all summer. He goes well fresh, his record on his seasonal debut reads 1111, and he proved over hurdles that he can handle soft ground. He finished second in a Lanzarote Hurdle on soft ground, beaten three-parts of a length by last season’s Coral Cup winner William Henry. There are lots of positives.

Belami Des Pictons would be very interesting on the ground if he came back to his best, having just his second run in two years, while Us And Them could run a big race for Joseph O’Brien and JJ Slevin. Last season’s Arkle runner-up shaped well for a long way on his seasonal debut behind Snow Falcon in the PWC Champion Chase at Gowran Park, his first run over two and a half miles.

Over-priced

Quel Destin looks over-priced in the Greatwood Hurdle on Sunday. Winner of the Grade 1 Finale Hurdle last year, and fifth in the Triumph Hurdle, Paul Nicholls’ horse put up a really game performance on his debut this season to get the better of Soviet Pimpernel and Torpillo in a two-mile hurdle at Cheltenham’s October meeting.

He was conceding weight to those two rivals too, 8lbs to the former and 4lbs to the latter, both talented and progressive rivals, and he battled on well to beat them, with the three of them clear, in a good time.

The handicapper raised him by 7lbs for that win to a mark of 149, and that leaves him with (joint) top weight today, but high-weights don’t have a bad record in this race. More importantly, he has the ideal mix of youth and experience, he is an unusually experienced four-year-old, to give him the ability to cope with a competitive handicap like this, and the potential to go beyond today’s handicap mark.

We know that he goes well on heavy ground, and he is two-for-three at the track, and Harry Cobden rides him, and some of the Paul Nicholls horses are coming on for their seasonal debuts. 10/1 about him is more than fair.

Recommended

Spiritofthegames 1 point each-way, 2.25 Cheltenham, Saturday, 7/1 (generally)

Quel Destin 1 point win, 3.00 Cheltenham, Sunday, 10/1 (generally)