Cheltenham Festival Tips: Rhys Williams is taking a two-pronged antepost attack in the Cross Country

• Run well in French cross country races

• Good prep run for this at Auteuil

• Iceo Madrik is overpriced in the Cross Country Chase

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Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase - Back Iceo Madrik

Iceo Madrik didn't get past the third fence on his only try over this course when jumping into the back of Three By Two but I'm hoping he can have better luck on his second attempt at the Festival.

He was a classy horse over conventional fences in France as a four-year-old, finishing third in the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure, but he didn't transfer that ability to racing in Britain in five starts for David Pipe and ended up going back to David Cottin. He was switched to the cross country sphere once back with Cottin and took a little while to adapt to the new test but he managed to win a Listed cross country race at Compiegne in November.

It didn't go to plan when Iceo Madrik was brought over to run at this track in December but he had a good prep run back over convention fences at Auteuil last time when finishing fifth in a Grade 3. That showed that he still retains plenty of ability and I think he's likely to be suited by the test that this race provides. Four of his five cross country races in France have been at Compiegne, which is arguably the easiest jumping test of the main cross country tracks in France, so it looks to be a case of a classy chaser going to cross country races rather than him being the type to really take to the tougher jumping tests in this sphere.

That he will be racing from out of the handicap is far less of a concern in this type of race but it is a bit worrying that he has a habit of jumping left even on a left-handed track. If he repeats that here, he could end up very wide on the right-handed bends and lose ground with his jumping on the right-handed sections of the track.

However, I think he's overpriced given the ability that he has and unseating so early on in December may have prevented him from being a much shorter price for this race. Given that he's definitely going for the race there's no angle with the NRNB so he appeals at any double-figure prices in the standard antepost market.

Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase - Back Roi Mage

At a bigger price, another horse who started his career in France makes some appeal.

Roi Mage was also a classy chaser and placed in the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure in his younger days, in his case finishing a very close second in that race back in 2016. He gained a Grade 2 and a couple of Grade 3 wins over fences in France before being bought privately with the Grand National in mind.

He's run respectably in that race on a couple of occasions and he could run in it again this season but I think he can run well in this race beforehand. I'm not sure the twists and turns and jumping test that the cross country track at Corlay provided was ideal for him but he ran well to finish second there in June and followed that with victory in a Listed cross country race at Craon. He beat Sweet David comfortably that day and while it would be unwise to think he ran to exactly the same level that day as he did when winning at Cheltenham in November, it showed that Roi Mage is suited by the cross country courses that put more emphasis on stamina and that he still has plenty of ability.

He finished behind Iceo Madrik at Compiegne in November but he got further back than ideal around that track and could only stay on late to take fifth. Although he fell at the twentieth on his only previous try at this track in January 2023, I think this could be an ideal test for him and that was also the opinion of James Reveley who has been in the saddle for his last four starts.

It may be that age will finally catch up with the thirteen-year-old and he won't maintain his level but I think the market is underestimating his chance in this race and any 16/117.00 or bigger appeals in the standard antepost market.

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