TOP WORTH A GAMBLE
Today's Cheltenham Starform tips
12.15 – SPRINGTOWN LAKE can give the Philip Hobbs stable a much-needed change of fortune. By his high standards, Hobbs has only trained 38 winners this season from a stable of 150 horses. This looks an ideal opportunity for Springtown Lake to return to winning form after his promising second to On The Blind Side at Sandown earlier in the month.
One for the road tom will be the danger if he repeats his run at Exeter, where he beat Lalor on his penultimate outing. A market move will be a guide to his chances.
12.50 – Despite only five runners taking part this is an open affair. On his best form VYTA DU ROC should be the winner. He wears cheekpieces for the first time today and, hopefully, that will do the trick. It is worth remembering that he finished sixth behind Native River in last season’s Hennessy Gold Cup, when running off a 5lb higher mark.
1.25 – WILLOUGHBY COURT, one of the stars over hurdles last season, has translated that ability to fences this season. He did not inspire on his chasing debut at Huntingdon, jumping to the left on numerous occasions, but looked a smart recruit when bolting up at Newbury. He had Yanworth behind him and there is no reason why that rival should turn the tables. Ballyandy is the one more likely to make a race of it. He was last seen when beating Fagan on his chasing debut at Perth in September. His lack of an outing should not be a problem as his trainer, Nigel Twiston-Davies, always has his horses fit. Also, he has put up some excellent performances on this course, notably when taking the Champion Bumper last year.
2.00 – The talented five-pound claimer James Bowen will help TOP GAMBLE, the top-weight, to take this competitive contest. He ran blinder last time out behind Un De Sceaux at Cork. A repeat will see him take this. Shantou
Flyer, last year’s winner, cannot be supported on his recent performances. But the consistent Sametagal must not be overlooked. He is up only a pound for his win at Newbury in March.
3.10 – With conditions similar to last year, AGRAPART can take this event for the second year on the bounce. His last two runs, in France, have been disappointing but the return to Cheltenham should see a dramatic improvement from this talented gelding.