Cheltenham Focus: One last hurrah for Sharjah

• Daryl answers all questions

• Thinks 11/1 is excellent value for Sharjah in the County Hurdle

• Looks back at his entire list

All of the form and time work for this column has been done, and Cheltenham Festival winners are sitting in their boxes, so instead of reviewing the week, I answer some questions posted to me via Twitter, and we take a look back at our ante-post list.

Twitter Questions

Stats and trends are there to be broken, and I wouldn't let them put me off a horse I fancied. You can manipulate and find a stat against any horse at the Festival; however, age is something that I take a little more seriously.

A horse like Paisley Park will not improve at 11 but is rock-solid in running his race. I would always look for horses that have the potential to improve further for whatever reason, and they tend to be the younger horse who is yet to reach their peak. A horse like a Paisley Park must match his best career efforts; at his age, that's a tough ask.

Yes, it will have an impact on the race. The Old course is much tighter and favours speedier horses. I think it will help Edwardstone and hinder Energumene. Energumene is not as quick as Edwardstone, and that's a simple fact, so naturally, this tighter track should favour the sharp turn of foot of Edwardstone.

Arkle - El Fabiolo
Ballymore - Impaire Et Passe
Turners - Mighty Potter
Triumph - Blood Destiny

That pays 60/1 on the Betfair Sportsbook.

Yes, punters should always have a contingency plan, but only if the ground gets horrendous, like when an inch of rain fell on Wednesday last year. Good horses will go through most ground, so I wouldn't let it sway me too much.

Obviously, horses like Teahupoo and Gerri Colombe will be big shorteners if the ground comes up very soft, but it's just a case of watching the weather forecast.

I'd be much keener on Facile Vega should the ground be soft. He has a very pronounced knee action.

Yes, he could certainly be a monster. Everything adds up with him. Progressive, good times, the best form, how he is not even money at best, I don't know.

Half the track, hopefully. I very much respect Lossiemouth, but Blood Destiny is the one to be on, and I would consider backing him by more than three lengths if the prices are right.

There are a few ways to answer this. Personally, my toughest betting day is always Wednesday. However, the most challenging betting day is Tuesday because most people tend to focus on the first few races to get a good start, and when so many eyes are on the Supreme, for example, it can be difficult to find value - hopefully, that's not the case this year!

There are a couple of big prices I fancy for the handicaps. Eva's Oska 33/1 for the Ultima will go well although I have had little luck in the race in the past. Still, he has form figures of 122 at Cheltenham, was only narrowly beaten by Corach Rambler 14 months ago and has been completely dismissed by the market.

I'd be very surprised if Nusret went to the Boodles, but even if he does, he has only run to around 133, and that won't be good enough, and if it is, you can put this down as a very disappointing year for Juveniles.

To be honest, I feel like I have strength across the entire week this year, which is not usually the norm. I have previously finished the meeting strong but have taken time to get going. Here is how I rank the days from a personal punting perspective.

I would rank Thursday as the best for me. Some very strong favourites. Mighty Potter, Luccia, Shishkin, plus I like the chances of Maxxum and So Scottish.

Next would be Wednesday. I like Impaire Et Passe quite a lot for the Ballymore, Edwardstone, and It's For Me.

Tuesday follows although it's taken me a long time to come down on one for the Supreme. Still, El Fabiolo, Tekao and Gaillard Du Mesnil look to have strong chances.

Friday, I rank as the most difficult day. Blood Destiny is obviously my strongest fancy on the day, followed by this week's selection in the County, but a wide-open Albert Bartlet, Martin Pipe and that god-awful Hunters Chase will ensure it's not easy going.

Back Willie Mullins class act to land the County Hurdle

The one horse that is surely the wrong price in the County Hurdle is Sharjah 11/1 NRMB. Irish runners have landed nine of the last 13 runnings of this, and Willie Mullins has won six of those.

Sharjah, if taking his chance, will have just his second career start in a handicap hurdle and first since winning the Galway Hurdle in 2018 off of a rating of 146.

It was rather surprising to see the British Handicapper treat Willie Mullins' runner so fairly when leaving him on his Irish rating of 155 despite having not run outside of graded company for almost five years.

His latest effort saw him defeated by Fill Dor in the Grade 3 Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran Park, which undoubtedly influenced the handicapper's decision. However, that race was terribly slowly run, and he was unfavoured by his racing position and the heavy ground, so he deserved an upgrade.

The better the ground, the better chance Sharjah has in any capacity. Shajah's form figures since November 2018 on yielding ground or better read 2126111, and all seven of those runs have come in Grade 1 company.

We are almost sure to have quick ground on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival, and this extra furlong and the New course are indeed positives to his chances.

His three runs this season have suggested that he is not going to be winning any more Grade 1's, but they have not indicated he is gone at the game. It was a strange ride by Danny Mullins in the Grade 1 Matthersons when pressing the pace, given he is a notorious hold-up performer, and he did well on his seasonal return to only be beaten four lengths by stablemate State Man who had the run of the race.

His last two efforts at the Cheltenham Festival have resulted in two second-place finishes in the Champion Hurdle, and this big-field strong pace scenario is what he will relish.

Sharjah is not the top weight in this contest at the time of writing, which baffles me. Indeed, Zanahiyr and Il Etait Temps are numbers one and two. Willie Mullins did this with Arctic Fire in 2017 - he had also finished runner-up in the Champion Hurdle the previous season before scoring here off 158.

Sharjah is the class act in this contest, and if there is to be one last hurrah for Sharjah to finally get his Cheltenham Festival victory and rid the hoodoo of the Bridesmaid tag, then it's this one.

Antepost selection review

We have had some shockers here, but it's a good sign that it will cost a hell of a lot more to back these selections now.

Let's get the bad out of the way first. Three Stripe Life, Bravemansgame, Meet And Greet, Champ Kiely and Almankind have cost us six points thus far, and you can throw Facile Vega, Grangeclare West, Tellmesomethinggirl and perhaps Gaillard Du Mesnil on that list for a total loss of 10pts on horses that will not run in their predicted races.

Let's focus on what we have running for us and on which day. The point outlay running for us at the moment is 19pts, including today's selection.

Tuesday

El Fabiolo 6/1 Arkle Chase 1pt win NOW 6/4

Very happy with El Fabiolo's price of 6/1 here. I think he has all the potential in the world and could yet be anything. His excellent performance in the Irish Arkle is by far the strongest single piece of form on offer, and he has improved leaps and bounds in just five starts for Willie Mullins. Interestingly, many people are missing the fact that he wore a hood when he met Jonbon at Aintree last year, and he has far more scope for improvement than him.

Brandy Love 4/1 Mares Hurdle 1pt win NOW 11/2

Not my finest hour in terms of pricing, as I should have known she would have needed the run at Punchestown and waited until after that race. I do worry about her jumping. She put down at the last at Punchestown, which is a concern when at full flight at Cheltenham. This is really competitive, and she will need to improve.

Tekao 6/1 Boodles Handicap 1pt win NOW 4/1

I genuinely think that Tekao could run a big race in the Triumph Hurdle, but this is his target, and he looked very good, albeit under a suspicious ride at the DRF. We have not seen the best of him yet, and a mark of 135 is workable.

Wednesday

Thyme Hill 12/1 Brown Advisory 1pt e/w NOW 11/2

Thyme Hill has an excellent Cheltenham record and a remarkably consistent profile hence the each-way bet. I love that connections have come straight here after Kempton, given his record on the back of a break is brilliant, but his age does concern me. I am very torn on what I make of his chances. I wouldn't want to be steaming in at his current price, so I am very happy he is on this list at double-figure odds. I certainly think he has a chance, especially given that his hurdle form is levels above these.

It's hard to suggest that he is a better chaser than a hurdler, though, and that's where I struggle with him. Saying all that, this is not a vintage Brown Advisory Chase.

Grey Diamond 20/1 NRMB Grand Annual 1pt win NOW 20/1

A recent selection but a well-handicapped one for a trainer that has targeted this race all season, and he has a big shout.

It's For Me 4/1 Champion Bumper 1pt win NOW 7/2

I'd be surprised if he weren't bigger than 7/2 or our ante-post price of 4/1 on the day, with Patrick Mullins probably opting for Fun Fun Fun. The bumper has gotten deeper by the week, and he went in at a time when the race was looking very poor. However, this bumper crop could turn out to be very useful down the line, but he is still my firm favourite for the race.

Thursday

Banbridge 10/1 Turners Chase 1pt win NOW 7/2

Probably the horse on the list that I wished I tipped each way. He has excellent place claims after finishing strongly in the Irish Arkle, which put to bed any hopes of him running in the Arkle at Cheltenham. We certainly have a runner here. He ticks plenty of boxes, track, trip, and ground, but that may not be enough to turn around the Drinmore form with Mighty Potter. Thankfully Mighter Potter is also on this list, but Banbridge is probably the more solid option in truth.

Mighty Potter 7/2 Turners Chase 2pt win NOW 5/4

He was excellent at the DRF, and our captain and only 2pt selection is now rightfully a firm favourite for this contest. The Drinmore win is easily the strongest piece of middle-distance form on offer, and he is a future Gold Cup contender. His finishing effort at the DRF was breathtaking, and 7/2 is a cracking price.

Maxxum 7/1 NRMB Pertemps Final 1pt win NOW 7/1

Another recent selection. I think he has a big chance, and there was little moaning from the yard about his rating of 145 by the British Handicapper.

Shishkin 7/1 Ryanair Chase 1pt win NOW 8/11

What beats him? There's nothing in this race the calibre of Shishkin, and providing he can back up his excellent Ascot Chase run, he won't be for catching. Really happy we took a chance on him before Ascot.

Sire Du Berlais 100/1 Stayers Hurdle 0.5pt e/w NOW 66/1

This is not as wild a swing as it may seem. Sire Du Berlais has a big chance of hitting the frame on all known form, and he comes very good in the spring. He went on the list when many thought he would go down the Pertemps route, so that obstacle is overcome. The win part of the bet is still a live one in my mind - he loves Cheltenham.

So Scottish 16/1 Plate Handicap 1pt win NOW 4/1

It was by chance that So Scottish was brought a few days or weeks after he went on this column by JP McManus, which has certainly contributed to his price collapse. He has an excellent chance and is well-handicapped. Always a competitive big-field contest, so we will need some luck, but I wouldn't want to be with anything else.

Friday

Blood Destiny 33/1 Triumph Hurdle 1pt win NOW 7/4

Blood Destiny went on this list before making his racecourse debut at Cork and, surprisingly, was still available after that run at 20/1 on the Betfair Sportsbook. He improved significantly from one start to another and is another who could be anything. He has a tough task against the girls here but has stacks of potential. The vibes are very good about him from the stable, and I am not shy in saying this would be the biggest winner of the week for my wallet.

Sharjah 11/1 NRMB County Hurdle 1pt win NOW 11/1

The class act in the field, and this could finally be his time to get that Cheltenham Festival victory.

Hiddenvalley Lake 11/2 Albert Bartlett 1pt win NOW 7/1

He was undone by a terribly slowly run race at Clonmel, and there is a bigger performance in him. I actually favour Corbetts Cross should he come here, but I am glad to have Hiddenvalley Lake in the book even if it was not my finest ante-post hour.

Stattler 16/1 Gold Cup 0.5pt e/w NOW 8/1

Each way betting ante-post is not usually the way I like to go about things, but I am glad I did here. Stattler has plenty to find with stablemate Galopin Des Champs, but he is a very strong each-way candidate for the Gold Cup. National Hunt Chase horses have a fair record in this event, and I am still very hopeful he can hit the frame and we got a good price here.

The Storyteller 12/1 Hunters Chase 1pt win NOW 12/1

I think he has an outside chance, although I was concerned to hear that he has spinal issues, and they probably won't be throwing everything at him in a driving finish. Still, he has a good Cheltenham record and goes there with a chance.