Cheltenham Festival Antepost Tips: Franco to spoil Elliott Cross Country party

• Still posses plenty of class

• Experience of Auteuil may help

• Franco De Port is overpriced in the Cross Country Chase

Has the class to challenge Elliott duo

Cross Country Chase: Franco De Port 1pt win 8/1

Unsurprisingly, the market for this year's Glenfarclass Country Chase has a rather lopsided look to it with only three horses at a single-figure price and that sums up how competitive it is likely to be.

Delta Work heads the market as he looks to make it back-to-back wins in the race. Ground conditions are likely to be far different to what they were last year but that's of no concern to him and there's nothing in his performances this season that suggest he won't be capable of running to a very high level in this sphere once again.

He started the season with a narrow victory over the banks at Punchestown before conceding plenty of weight to ten of the other nineteen entries in this race on Trials Day in January and finishing third.

Since then he's had a good prep run over hurdles just to put him spot on for this and the market sums up his chance.

Delta Work's stablemate Galvin is next in the market as he makes his debut over these fences. He is to this year's race what Delta Work was to the race last year in being a Grade 1 quality chaser who could have gone for the Gold Cup but is taking the easier option instead.

He's reportedly schooled well over the cross country obstacles and while he's not lived up to expectations on his latest two runs, he clearly has a strong chance and the market reflects that.

Value away from Elliott's pair

Following the Elliott pair in the market is Franco De Port who I think is overpriced given his class and the potential for him to take to this course.

He finished some way ahead of Galvin in the Savills Chase two starts ago and he wasn't disgraced when finishing fifth in the Irish Gold Cup despite not jumping well and being hampered by a faller at 2 out.

His jumping of normal fences has always held him back from reaching the heights that his ability suggests he is capable of and it may be that he will be more at home over the sort of obstacles he will face in this race than normal chase fences.

In recent times, French-trained horses have had success at this track and I think that is because the type of fences at Cheltenham are not too far off what they would face in a French chase.

Franco De Port took a little while to warm up in the Grand Steeplechase de Paris last year but his jumping soon improved in that and he finished third and he ran respectably when finishing fifth in the Prix La Haye Jousselin.

He has to have been schooled over the fences at Cheltenham to be able to run in this race so presumably he's taken to them well enough to warrant an entry and I think he could travel smoother through this race than is the case in races over normal chase fences where his jumping has often put him on the back foot.

I've not seen Willie Mullins specifically mention this race for Franco De Port but given the later entry stage for this race it seems likely that this is the intended target. However, there is the benefit of the non runner money back offer in case he doesn't turn up.

It's difficult to see any of those who raced against Delta Work in January managing to beat him now that they aren't in a handicap while Gin On Lime is another newcomer to this sphere but lacks the class of Galvin and Franco De Port.

It may turn out that the market is spot on and the Elliott pair will dominate the race but I think Franco De Port should be closer to them given his class and any 7/1 or bigger appeals.