Friday is the culmination of the Cheltenham Festival and features the biggest event in jumps racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Opportunities abound for punters across the card, with the opening Triumph Hurdle being the championship race for juveniles, the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle featuring Gold Cup hopefuls of the future and top handicap hurdle action in the County Hurdle and Martin Pipe.
Clive Gildon provides his analysis on the big race as well as some other selections on day four at Cheltenham's flagship meeting, where they race from 1.30 to 5.30, with the Gold Cup off at 3.30.
3.30 – Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1, 3m2½f)
It all comes down to this. Every jumps horse starts off as a Gold Cup hopeful, but only one can deliver the famous trophy to his connections each year.
Last year it was Galopin Des Champs who took the race back to the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard and he is favourite to retain his title. It is hard to argue with that on the strength of his last two wins at Leopardstown, particularly a yawning 23-length success in the Savills Chase over Christmas.
If he is available at 6/4 or bigger, he would represent a good bet but at prices nearer to evens, his career-long tendency to throw in a poor run give reason to look elsewhere and he was beaten twice by chief market rival Fastorslow after winning last year's Gold Cup.
Fastorslow ran in the Ultima Handicap Chase at last year's Cheltenham Festival and could not even win that, although he ran into Corach Rambler who won the Grand National a few weeks later.
After that, he won the Punchestown Gold Cup and the John Durkan, but he has been second-best since Galopin Des Champs returned to his peak.
There are horses with as much talent as Fastorslow at double-figure odds and L'Homme Presse is top of my shortlist. He won the Brown Advisory two years ago and has run in only one open staying Grade 1 chase since. That was in the 2022 King George, when he was just getting the worst of the argument with Bravemansgame when unseating at the last. He was ruled out for the season shortly after.
A few weeks before the King George, L'Homme Presse had won the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle, a handicap in which he gave 26lb and a beating to Into Overdrive. That horse went up 4lb for finishing second, but still won a Premier handicap on his next start.
L'Homme Presse returned to action when winning at Lingfield in January and then finished second in a Grade 1 at Ascot over 2m5f. That trip is too short and going right-handed is not his preference but the Gold Cup will be ideal for him.
The other selection to consider is Gentlemansgame. When he beat Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall, the received wisdom was that an unfit Bravemansgame would have won but for a mistake at the last. It was missed that he was beaten by a fast-progressing chaser.
Gentlemansgame has been lightly raced throughout his career, having run only 11 times in all. He quickly rose to the top as a staying hurdler, finishing third in Punchestown's answer to the Stayers' Hurdle in 2022. In his three chase runs, he has beaten I Am Maximus, split Easy Game and Envoi Allen and beaten Bravemansgame. He is short on experience, but he has earned his place in the Gold Cup line-up and could run well.
1.30 - Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m1f)
Long-time Triumph Hurdle favourite Sir Gino has been ruled out of the race, so it is likely that Willie Mullins will hold the key once more.
Perhaps the most interesting runner of his will be Salvator Mundi. He is in the same ownership as Sir Gino, and their connection runs deeper than that. They raced each other in France, with Sir Gino coming out on top but the pair finished well clear.
This will be Salvator Mundi's debut for Mullins. It is a fascinating race to pitch him into first time up, but he could be the answer.
The other Mullins runner to note is Ethical Diamond. He was the biggest eye-catcher of the whole Dublin Racing Festival when a close-up sixth in the Grade 1 juvenile. He cost a lot after showing useful form on the Flat, which makes up for his lack of experience over hurdles.
2.50 - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1, 3m)
This is a race for future staying chasers and point-to-point form is often a strong indicator. In that sphere, The Jukebox Man beat Cleatus Poolaw, who ran in Thursday's Pertemps Final. He has since shaped like a smart stayer in the making over hurdles, winning twice before finishing a staying-on third to Captain Teague in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury over Christmas.
Captain Teague is in this race too, but The Jukebox Man has the more obvious profile for this test and is preferred.
Shanagh Bob is another likely type, who also won a point and is unbeaten over hurdles. His second win came at Cheltenham, so he has the course experience, and he has been saved for the festival since.
Were it not for the doubts about the Henderson yard, he would be the selection but he is still handily enough priced to merit consideration.
2.10 - BetMGM County Handicap Hurdle (2m1f)
Willie Mullins is not all about priming top-class horses. He can win handicaps too, and he has done well to get Ebor winner Absurde into this race off a mark of 138.
After winning the Ebor, the horse went to Australia where he ran in the Melbourne Cup. It is likely he has not been primed since, given all his travelling, and he has gone through his hurdles races this winter like a horse just short of peak fitness.
He shaped third-best for a long way in a race at the Dublin Racing Festival won by Ballyburn, with Slade Steel in second. They have both won Grade 1 novice hurdles this week.
He is a strong fancy, but the alternative could be the Dan Skelton-trained Faivoir. He won this race last year and returns in top form, having finished a close second in the Imperial Cup at Sandown at the weekend. Knowing how the Skelton yard campaign their horses, you can bet they left a little bit of wriggle room to get Faivoir primed for his defence of this race.
