12:05 Cheltenham Tips

BARLOVENTO has been a model of consistency for the Olly Murphy yard, winning in three of his seven career starts and never finishing out of the placings. He hadn’t been seen for 300 days before this season's reappearance, having had wind surgery in the interim. He ran well on his comeback, finishing second (½ length) in a handicap chase (2m 4f, Good to Soft, Good in Places), where the first three have all since won. That effort was off a mark of 117, and he was able to win next time out off a mark of 121. The handicapper has given him a further 4 lb rise to contend with today, but he looks like a progressive seven-year-old, and with testing ground forecast, he looks likely to get his ideal conditions. The yard has been in excellent form, with a strike rate of 22.86% (35 runners, 8 winners, 12 placed) over the past 14 days, yielding a level-stakes profit of +8.98. Champion jockey Sean Bowen aboard is always a positive, and it would be a surprise to see this one not make his presence felt now upped in class.

Unexposed and promising horse. A double winner over the hurdles, it won on chase debut at Fakenham and improved when finishing fourth on Boxing Day. It can improve again.