CONFIRMATION this week that previous winners Coneygree and Don Cossack will miss the 2017 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup has forced Thistlecrack into odds-on with virtually every betting company to win the big race on St Patrick’s Day. Only one

The King George VI Chase winner heads 39 entries for the Gold Cup and is one of five entered for the race by his trainer Colin Tizzard. Stable companions Native River and Cue Card are also prominent in the Gold Cup betting, while there are good reports of the Tizzard-trained Alary, a Grade 1 chaser formerly trained in France and now owned by Alan Potts.