Cheltenham Festival Tips: Mark Milligan has three handicap selections from 11/2 to 10/1

• Mark Milligan has three tips for the Cheltenham handicaps

• He has an Irish fancy at 11/26.50

• He's also backing an English-trained pair at 7/18.00 and 10/111.00

Ultima Handicap - Giovinco @ 10/1 NRMB

As one would expect when viewing the Cheltenham handicaps through the prism of Timeform ratings, the majority of them are tight, and the Ultima is no exception, with the top eight covered by no more than 3lb.

The top rated, and notably with a 'p' attached to that figure (denoting further improvement likely) is Theatre Man, who my colleague Dan Barber is most keen on, and I wouldn't put anyone off this one, though there is the possibility he could head for TrustATrader Plate later in the week in preference to this race.

Of course, with NRMB, you're covered if you wish to back him in both and that's certainly an option, but I'm going to head elsewhere and side with Lucinda Russell's Giovinco, who shapes as the type to win a big handicap and is right in the clutch of those horses towards the top of the Timeform rankings.

The stable has taken this race for the last two years courtesy of Corach Rambler and Giovinco comes into it on the back of confidence-boosting success in a match race at Newcastle last time, where he barely broke sweat to take care of his sole opponent.

The Irish have plenty towards the head of the betting here, but this is a race they've traditionally struggled in (not won it since 2006), and Giovinco looks to have been teed up perfectly to land the hat-trick for his shrewd trainer.

Coral Cup - Langer Dan @ 7/1 NRMB

Langer Dan did us a favour when taking last year's Coral Cup and he looks to have been specifically prepared with this race in mind as he targets a follow up.

He went into last year's contest following three relatively lacklustre runs but quickly put those behind him as he showcased his trainer's skill at priming one for the big day, coming home a head to the god of An Epic Song, showing plenty of guts in the process.

There's probably no better example of a spring horse than Langer Dane, who tends not to show his best on deep ground in the winter, the runs he's had this season seemingly a means to end, with all roads leading to Cheltenham once more.

Those quite outings have certainly helped him from a handicapping perspective, as the assessor has dropped him a few pounds and he gets to race off 141, the same perch from which he won this race 12 months ago.

As ever, we'll see a fiercely competitive field line up for this contest, the spread of Timeform ratings (3lb covering the top eleven) confirming that plenty are in with chances, though it's hard to overlook Langer Dan given there are few better target trainers around than Dan Skelton.

Pertemps Final - Cleatus Poolaw @ 11/2 NRMB

With plenty in with a shout on the figures in the Pertemps, it will likely pay to side with one who hasn't fully shown his hand yet and Gordon Elliott's Cleatus Poolaw fits that profile to a tee.

Rated 139p with Timeform - a figure that puts him only 2lb shy of being top in this race - it's clear that this six-year-old is in with a big shout for a stable that's taken this race three times in the past.

While he's yet to race over 3m under Rules, he does have a point victory at that trip under his belt and this race promises to suit one who's very much unexposed as a stayer.

He's shown a pattern of race-to-race improvement since joiningg the Gordon Elliott stable and has a profile not too dissimilar to that of Delta Work, who was successful as a novice in this race for the same connections back in 2018.

With Elliott holding only one other entry in the race (likely top weight Farouk D'Alene), it would be surprise if Jack Kennedy doesn't plump to ride Cleatus Poolaw, and the duo should take plenty of beating.

Now read Daryl Carter's Cheltenham Hadicap Tips here.