Cheltenham (29/01)

2.30pm

Chantry House

He excelled at the back-end of last season and his Grade 1 wins here and at Aintree read even better now considering what the beaten horses have done this season. He has his conditions, the ground should be perfect for him, and hopefully he can get back on track here in first-time cheekpieces after the disappointing King George run. But he does have a 4lb penalty and meets some similarly-rated horses, so this won’t be easy by any means.

3.40pm 

Balco Coastal

Only six runners but this is a very hot Ballymore trial. This is clearly a big step up for my horse, and not only in terms of the 2m4f trip, but we have been delighted with him in his successes at Huntingdon and under a 7lb penalty at Ludlow last time – the horse he gave weight to at Ludlow has won easily since – and we are looking forward to pitting him against equally promising sorts such as Hillcrest, from whom we get 5lb. We think he is smart.