Follow Lieutenant’s orders for gold cup

BOBS WORTH will be a tough nut to crack in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup but FIRST LIEUTENANT is a sporting to bet to claim the bl u e riband of steeplechasing in a race trainer Mouse Morris has always fancied having a crack at with him.

Morris’ charge was a winner at the meeting when landing the Neptune back in 2011, but two return trips to the track have yielded only placed glory.

First Lieutenant had to settle for second behind Bobs Worth in the RSA the following year while last year’s Ryanair second probably just underlined the fact that he is more of a stayer than a two-mile-five type.

KINGS PALACE has impressed in each of his three outings this term and can prove a worthy market leader in the A lbert Bartlett Novices’Hurdle.

The six-year-old has some decent bumper form to his credit, but made an inauspicious start to his hurdling career when falling at A yr last January.

David Pipe opted to draw stumps after that heavy tumble and the decision paid dividends as Kings Palace never saw another rival to score effortlessly at Fontwell on his seasonal return.

BROUGHTON’s Flat pedigree can come to the fore in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

A son of Teofilo, he was far from top class for the Maktoum family during his time with Mark Johnston but he won a decent three- year- old handicap at Goodwood and has made a smooth transition to the National Hunt ranks.

UNE ARTISTE is is another former Festival winner and is worth a shout as she returns to the smaller obstacles in the Mar tin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.

The six-year-old struck gold in the Fred Winter back in 2012 and it is interesting Nicky Henderson reverts to hurdles here after concentrating on chasing through the winter.

LAC FONTANA was a winner on Festival Trials day on vastly different ground but he is also proven on quicker ground ahead of the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle.

He was smart as a juvenile, finishing eighth in the Triumph last year, but reportedly suffered from stomach ulcers which were blamed for his sound beating at Cheltenham before Christmas.

HARBOUR COURT is the choice in the CGA Foxhunter Chase having been trained specifically for this event by A lan Hill, while CLARET CLOAK can round off the Festival with victory in the Johnny Henderson GrandA nnual Chase Challenge Cup Handicap.

Picture: PA. Mouse Morris.