pipe26

They Call Me Hugo has scored an impressive point-to-point win, made a winning debut under rules at Ffos Las, and appears to stay well on testing ground. I think the big question mark will be the level of race he's contesting in, but he looks capable of defying his inexperience.

This five-year-old ran a credible race at Ascot last time, having been dropped in trip, and was travelling well before lacking late on. Returning to this distance will suit significantly better, I feel. Harry Cobden going against his retainer in this one adds a little bit of confidence.

This is a bit of a speculative selection that is banking on progressive improvement rather than proven form. With 4 places on offer, I believe this horse is capable of outrunning expectations, and given the demands at Cheltenham, surprises often occur. The gelding seems to suit even-pace races, which various heat maps seem to indicate will likely occur here too.

Another speculative long shot today. That is banking on progressive improvement from a horse against stronger-looking opponents. But given how competitive this race looks and the demands of Cheltenham, I believe our boy Stan is the pick of the outsiders. If he can continue to improve his bumper form, he could land here at a nice price.

The Henry De Bromhead-trained gelding makes his 2nd chase start after finishing fourth at Navan behind the impressive Kopek Des Bordes. He won a maiden hurdle here last season and was placed in Grade 2 company over hurdles. De Bromhead's yard excels at developing chase horses, and runners generally improve significantly for fencing experience. The progressive profile appeals despite modest course stats.

Some Scope has not shown much in his last few outings. However, if you look at the races where pace and conditions were more in his favour, you get a place in a Class 2 at Uttoxeter and a win this time last year in a Class 1 at this course. He's dropped a bit on his mark, and with the drop in class and a return to a course he appears to enjoy, with a pace setup likely in his favour, I'm expecting him to return to form today. Kilbarry Hill and If Not for Dylan are in the same position as Some Scope and both are looking to get back into form. However, their best is not in the same class as Some Scope in my opinion, and neither has a Class 1 win under their belts.

Ordinarily I would not normally look at a 3-runner race, but all three runners appeared in my tracker inbox, so my interest was piqued. Out of the three, Mydaddypaddy clearly seems the pick. You could argue all day over who is better between Smoke Trail and Kosac D'oudairies. I would lean slightly in favour of Smoke Trail. In this 3-runner affair no horse should be double figures. Mydaddypaddy so far hasn't had to run a fast pace start to finish; he's won both outings in slow and even-paced races. If Smoke Trail can push a fast early pace, which is possible, he's proved he can finish strongly in his last outing. How likely that is to happen with only three runners does cast some doubt, but I think the market has seriously underestimated Smoke Trail's chances, and I'm happy to take a small chance on an upset here even though Mydaddypaddy looks the much better horse on paper.