Cheltenham
1.30pm
Sir Erec
I know this will be a different test of Sir Erec’s skillset, in that he probably won’t get his own way from the front as he did at Leopardstown last time, but he really was impressive there and I expect him to outclass these. He had plenty of form on testing conditions on the Flat, too.
2.10pm
Whiskey Sour
He finished third on soft ground in this race last year and the fact that we haven’t seen him since November doesn’t worry me. If you have a look at his record, he goes really well when fresh.
2.50pm
Allaho
He doesn’t fit the profile of a normal Albert Bartlett winner in that he comes here after just three runs, and this usually goes to a battle-hardened horse with plenty of miles on the clock. But he looked a very good horse when winning at Clonmel last month, and he could well confirm that impression here.
3.30pm
There has been a lot of talk about the fact that Presenting Percy hasn’t jumped a fence in public since winning the RSA last season, but his Galmoy Hurdle win confirmed him in great form and I am sure he has been very well schooled in preparation for this, including a spin around Galway I gather. And I don’t think you can downplay what a genius Pat Kelly is. This horse has won a Pertemps and an RSA, and I think he could get the biggest prize of all on his CV here.
4.10pm
Ucello Conti is my idea of the winner. He doesn’t have any Cheltenham experience but he comes here in great form and the ground won’t be an issue.
4.50pm
Brelan D’As has just squeezed into the race, and he could prove the answer to a very tricky handicap. This will be a much different test than his win in a small-field race at Fakenham last time, but I think he is weighted to go well on ground he will like for last year’s winning owner-trainer combination. The Martin Pipe was too hard for me, so I can’t help if you need a winner there to get out of trouble!
