Bryony Frost Cheltenham Day 2 Preview: Thyme White has a live chance in Grand Annual

My only ride on day two of The Festival is Thyme White in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup (16.50), but he's very much a live chance if all goes smoothly, so I'm really looking forward to him.

I've only ridden Thyme White once, in a small field at Doncaster in December, and I probably haven't ridden an easier winner all season. Paul (Nicholls) has had this race in mind for him ever since, and I can see why.

The easy Doncaster win was in stark contrast to what happened at Ascot the time before when he threatened to duck out at the first and unseated Harry (Cobden), but that was just a blip.

There's no doubt that he's a cute character and highly intelligent, so you've got to concentrate hard and keep ten strides ahead of him but we've never seen that kind of behaviour from him at home, and just to rub salt into Harry's wounds he went on and jumped the rest of the fences perfectly at Ascot!

Blistering pace could well suit him

Thyme White is huge in stature and has bundles of scope, but he can be a little bit keen, so I'll need to have my plan in place at the start.

The Grand Annual is always run at a blistering pace and that could suit him, but he's never been in a field this big before so we don't really know how he will react. With his size and weight though he won't be letting himself get bumped around. He's a very strong horse.

In these big handicaps it can be all about the start, and if you are unlucky and are one of the last to come out of the parade ring it can be very difficult getting the position you want at the start, as it's first come first served and the best positions fill very quickly.

What's worse is that you have no control over when you leave the paddock. It's the luck of the draw.

He can gallop though, that's for sure, and the way he won at Doncaster you wouldn't know what his limit might be over fences. He was a useful hurdler, winning the Scottish Triumph Hurdle at Musselburgh, and with 10st 12lb he's got the right sort of weight and profile for a race like this, as he's still an unexposed novice and has room for improvement.

With a good smooth run he could definitely be involved in the finish, but what you don't need is for your rhythm to be broken by a mistake, or God forbid, something falling in front of you and forcing you to come off your line.

If we get in the right rhythm he's going to be an exciting ride.

His work has been good and his coat looks fantastic. Lorraine, who rides him every day, is happy with him, and I think Paul has put him up as his dark
horse in places, so fingers crossed!

Stage Star's jumping is what makes him so good

I'm not directly involved earlier on, but Paul runs two of his main hopes of the week at the start of the afternoon, with Stage Star taking on Sir Gerhard in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (13.30) and Bravemansgame carrying the Ditcheat hopes in a typically strong renewal of the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (14.10).

The Ballymore is a deep race and Sir Gerhard could be hard to beat, but Stage Star is a Grade 1 winner himself and has done everything right.

I've never ridden him, but I was going to ride him when he was third to Knapper's Hill in the bumper at Aintree last year after Harry had a fall in an earlier race. Unfortunately I then had a fall myself in the Grand National, and Harry Skelton ended up riding him.

I've seen plenty of him though, and watching him at home he's extremely professional and his jumping is very, very quick. That's a big part of what makes him so good, but whether he can beat Sir Gerhard only time will tell.

Forecast rain won't be a problem for Brave man

Bravemansgame is also unbeaten this season and I'm a big fan, like so many.

Again, I've never ridden him, but he looks the sort of horse who you can put anywhere in a race and he's got enormous scope.

He's quite breathtaking when he meets a fence long, but for such a big horse he can also operate well from close to the board. He can shorten that stride and still be out and gone from the back of the fence.

If the rain materialises that won't be a problem to him and I'm looking forward to cheering him home like the whole team.

Fascinating Champion Chase could be race of the week

The Queen Mother Champion Chase (15.30) has the makings of the race of the week, and as a jockey I'm just in awe of Shishkin and Energumene, and also Chacun Pour Soi for that matter.

The rematch between Shishkin and Energumene is going to be fascinating and I wouldn't be certain that Shishkin will confirm the Ascot placings. Cheltenham can lend itself to a front-runner like Energumene, and his jumping at Ascot was so fast it was heart-in-your-mouth stuff. Shishkin can hit a flat spot too, so it's not a foregone conclusion.

It could well be the two of them fighting it out again at the finish, but it's not necessarily a two-horse race as Chacun Pour Soi is a very classy horse indeed if he can travel over with his 'A' game this time, and our horse Politologue, a great favourite in the yard and a past winner of the race, could complicate matters as a fellow front runner.

Politologue is a very kind horse with a bulging trophy cabinet, and you can guarantee he'll be giving 110%. He's very well at home.

It's going to be fascinating tactically and I can't wait to watch it. I wish I was out there on one of them!

Place will go mad if Tiger wins again

The Glenfarclas Chase (16.10) will be Tiger Roll's last hurrah, or so they say, and I really hope he goes out in style. I don't see why he shouldn't, and if he does the place is going to go mad.

His form this season might not amount to a great deal, but he's looking really bonny from what I've seen in the media, and it looks as if he's settled in well. He loves Cheltenham and he loves the cross-country, so there's every chance his spark will return.

We know that this has been the target all along and a fourth win in the race and a sixth in all at the meeting is very much on the cards.

Finally, with respect to some promising horses from other stables, the Weatherbys Champion Bumper (17.30) has the makings of another straight clash between the teams of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, who have been trading blows in bumpers all winter.

Willie has already won this race a staggering 11 times and has Facile Vega, a son of Quevega, leading a team of seven, while Gordon has American Mike, who is also unbeaten and has been similarly impressive, heading his pair.

These are the stars of the future, but they are young horses and there's a lot to cope with on their first visit to the Festival. Anything can happen, but I'll be a bit surprised if one of Willie's doesn't win.

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