1.30 TRIUMPH HURDLE

“This is a horse I’m absolutely mad about. I’d love good ground on Friday.” That was a quote from an extremely bullish Nicky Henderson with regard to Charli Parcs in the festival build-up. It looks like he will get his wish with the ground but it is often dangerous to get caught up with hype about horses and on the form book, Charli Parcs' odds looks really short. He has only had two runs in Britain, one of which was in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton last month where he took a crashing fall when he was bang under pressure. A juvenile hurdler coming into Cheltenham off a fall has to be a big concern and at around the 7/2 mark he is best swerved.

The horse that went on to win the Adonis Hurdle was Master Blueyes and in doing so he probably went under the radar on account of the fall of Charli Parcs and the injury Barry Geraghty sustained. But Alan King’s horse was impressive on the day and he may well have won anyway. The fast ground will be right up his street.

Likely favourite Defi Du Seuil has course form and is well respected but the Gordon Elliott pair Mega Fortune and Dinaria Des Obeaux are both worth a second look. Mega Fortune will love the hill and was lit up in the first-time cheekpieces when winning the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown which is usually a very informative guide to this. Dinaria Des Obeaux finished third in that race but she made a bad error at the second last and did well to finish so close. She has just three runs on the book so she can improve again.

SELECTION: MASTER BLUEYES NEXT BEST: MEGA FORTUNE LONGSHOT: DINARIA DES OBEAUX

2.10 COUNTY HURDLE

This is one of the biggest betting heats of the week and it looks wide open as usual. North Hill Harvey, the Greatwood Hurdle winner, is a good place to start. Dan Skelton won this race with Superb Story last season and ever since this six-year-old gelding won at the Open meeting way back in November, Skelton has been aiming him towards this race. The progressive Mick Jazz represents Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy, and he is a big player. The son of Blue Bresil has some really nice form in the book - he was a close second to Labaik at Navan earlier in the season before taking the measure of Cilaos Emery (ran well in fifth in Supreme on Tuesday) at Punchestown last month. In between those runs he was unlucky when hampered late on in a very good handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse and it just seems like he has one of these big races in him.

There are any amount of dangers but Wait For Me looks worth chancing at a bigger price. He was fourth in this race for Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson last year and returns off a 4lb lower mark on his favoured good ground.

SELECTION: MICK JAZZ NEXT BEST: NORTH HILL HARVEY LONGSHOT: WAIT FOR ME

2.50 ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICES HURDLE

This race features another horse backed up by supreme confidence from his trainer. However in the case of Death Duty, he has the form and has made an impression to back up all the positive things Gordon Elliott has asserted. He looked like the real deal on his two wins at Navan, the second of which he comfortably beat one of today’s rivals Monalee and the well-regarded Invitation Only. He won the Grade 1 Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle at Naas and though Augusta Kate fell just as she was about to challenge at the last, the way he picked up to the line thereafter suggests he probably would have won anyway. He looks very much the most likely winner here and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him go off under 2/1, considering his trainer’s red hot form this week.

Wholestone deserves respect with his form around Cheltenham. Of the longer-priced horses, Ami Desbois makes appeal. Graham McPherson’s gelding has twice run well in defeat this season, once when only beaten a length by Wholestone around this course and distance and the other when third to Messire Des Obeaux (ran well when third in the Neptune Hurdle on Wednesday) in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Chepstow.

SELECTION: DEATH DUTY NEXT BEST: WHOLESTONE LONGSHOT: AMI DESBOIS

3.30 GOLD CUP

Despite the loss of some stars this is still one of the most anticipated races of the week. Much of that owes to the open feel about the race and the fact that Cue Card may well start favourite. Colin Tizzard’s 11-year-old is the best story in the race and a win would bring the house down but it is just so difficult for older horses to win a Gold Cup. Cool Ground was the last 10-year-old to win it in 1992 and after that you’d have to go back to What A Myth in 1969 to find the last horse aged 11 or over who won here.

Tizzard holds a sounder claim with up-and-comer Native River who has stamina in abundance and whose two big handicap wins this season should not be underrated. At around 7/2 mark he looks priced right though so it might prove wiser to look down the field for a bit of value. Confidence in Djakadam is high but he has been beaten in the race twice already and while this renewal may lack the class of the last two Gold Cups, it doesn’t lack for depth.

Outlander and Sizing John both look overpriced at around the 10/1 mark even at this late stage. Both horses are up-and-coming young chasers, both have big scope for progression over this trip from the in-form Gordon Elliott and Jessica Harrington stables. There is very little between them on the form of their Lexus and Irish Gold Cup wins but I have a slight preference for Outlander, given Elliott’s red hot form this week. One at a bigger price worth considering is Champagne West, who has got his jumping together this season under the tutelage of Henry De Bromhead, another Irish trainer in good form this week.

SELECTION: OUTLANDER NEXT BEST: SIZING JOHN LONGSHOT: CHAMPAGNE WEST

4.10 ST JAMES’S PLACE FOXHUNTER CHASE

On The Fringe bids for a festival hat-trick after a satisfactory comeback run at Leopardstown. He has the in-form Jamie Codd on his back. But he will be a very short price and has stiff competition in the form of two British hopes Wonderful Charm and Ask The Weatherman. Preference is for the latter mentioned who has eight point-to-point wins to his name and who made a perfect start to his rules career with an impressive win at Wincanton. He has a lot of scope to improve now and is looks like a nice alternative to the favourite at around the 4/1 mark.

For an outsider you could do worse than take a chance on dual winner Salsify who wasn’t that far behind On The Fringe at Leopardstown and who at last will get a chance to run on his favoured good ground.

SELECTION: ASK THE WEATHERMAN NEXT BEST: ON THE FRINGE LONGSHOT: SALSIFY

4.50 MARTIN PIPE CONDITIONAL JOCKEYS HANDICAP HURDLE

Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls have been responsible for five of the previous six winners. Battleford represents Mullins and he looks to be on the upgrade following a good second to Monalee at Clonmel last time. Nicholls is double-handed with previous Country Hurdle winner Lac Fontana and Tommy Silver. Lac Fontana has had a few problems during the last two seasons but has come down the weights and would have a big chance if back to form.

Tommy Silver has a big chance. Last year’s Triumph Hurdle form looks as good if not better than the form from the Supreme with the likes of Apple’s Jade, Footpad, Let’s Dance, Consul De Thaix, Sceau Royal and Who Dares Wins all performing with great credit this season. Tommy Silver finished a highly respectable seventh in that race on just his third ever run for Paul Nicholls. His first two runs this season have been disappointing but he bounced right back to form winning at Taunton last time out where he beat the useful Bertimont. He has huge scope for progression now as a five-year-old with just seven runs over hurdles, coming up in trip and coming off a career best.

SELECTION: TOMMY SILVER NEXT BEST: BATTLEFORD LONGSHOT: LAC FONTANA

5.30 GRAND ANNUAL HANDICAP CHASE

This is the last chance saloon to chase your money or hopefully top it up. There will be a few market moves closer to the race and it wouldn’t surprise at all if punters latched onto The Game Changer, who ran well behind Douvan in the Arkle last year and has been kept back all season for the festival. Good ground is what he needs and he performed admirably in big field handicaps over hurdles which augers well for this 24-runner field.

Colin Tizzard’s Quite By Chance is another interesting one. He has progressed a lot this season and has some very nice handicap form with the likes of Frodon and Sire De Grugy. Two miles on good ground could well be his optimum conditions so it would be no surprise to see him run well again. Lastly, Calipto is an intriguing contender, having his first run for Venetia Williams. It has been nearly a year since he last ran but if Venetia has him right, he has the talent to run a big race here off a mark of 139. He has only run four times over fences and one of those runs came here in an Arkle trial where he finished close up to Garde La Victoire and Fox Norton.

SELECTION: THE GAME CHANGER NEXT BEST: QUITE BY CHANCE LONGSHOT: CALIPTO

REVIEW ALL THE CHELTENHAM ACTION WITH THE IRISH FIELD THIS WEEKEND