Cadzand can prove himself at Newbury

Cadzand can justify his strong ante-post support by winning the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury.

Dan Skelton's six-year-old has been towards the head of the betting for arguably the toughest handicap hurdle in the calendar right from when the weights were published.

He looked the ideal type for the race when scoring impressively at Kempton over Christmas. Cadzand brushed Christopher Wood aside, and that horse has gone on to win the Scottish County Hurdle in good style.

Cadzand had got off the mark over hurdles at the second attempt at Warwick in November and is open to plenty of improvement.

The six-year-old's experience before that was restricted to one point-to-point success and two placed efforts in bumpers.

The Skelton stable continues to be in fine form, and their runners must always be respected.

Skelton served as assistant to Paul Nicholls before setting up on his own, and his former boss should strike with Greaneteen in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase.

The seven-year-old had a solid campaign as a novice chaser in 2019-20, winning his first three races and finishing a creditable fourth in the ultra-competitive Grand Annual at the Festival.

Nicholls had no qualms giving Greaneteen his seasonal reappearance in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter in November and was duly rewarded with a game neck verdict over Moonlighter.

Greaneteen was then pitched against his esteemed stablemate Politologue in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown and did best of the rest to take the runner-up spot in the two-mile Grade One.

He is in Nicholls' Cheltenham plans, holding entries in both the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Ryanair. He can take this en route to the Festival.

Good Ball may also provide an apt success for the Ditcheat trainer in the Read Paul Nicholls On Betting Betfair Novices' Hurdle.

The French import made a winning British debut over this course and distance in December and could be a bright prospect.

Lostintranslation can get back on track for the Cheltenham Gold Cup by taking the Betfair Denman Chase.

It is true Colin Tizzard's charge has questions to answer, but the stable is now in much better shape - having been under a cloud earlier in the season.

Lostintranslation will have been helped by a wind operation following a disappointing run in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

At his best, he is undoubtedly one of the top staying chasers around, as he showed winning the Betfair Chase.