Cheltenham Tips: Mark Milligan backs Alphonse Le Grande and two more on Friday at Prestbury Park

• Ridge gunning for veteran's chase success

• Cromwell novice can land Grade 2 hurdle

• Alphonse looks a Grande bet in the closer

13:45 Cheltenham - Back Gunsight Ridge @ 10/34.33

Cheltenham's November Meeting gets underway on Friday and this veterans' chase can go to one who looked unlucky not to win at this fixture last season. Gunsight Ridge was in second and closing when departing at the last in that class 2 handicap chase and could well have beaten Matata that day had he not come to grief.

The rest of his campaign was rather truncated, but he did win at Sandown in February and managed a fair fourth on his final start of the season in a competitive handicap chase at the Aintree Grand National meeting.

Now a 10-year-old, this is Gunsight Ridge's first foray into a veterans' chase and he looks handicapped to go very close from an unchanged mark for an Olly Murphy team that are in flying form right now.

15:30 Cheltenham - Back Welonlyhavedone @ 13/27.50

While Gavin Cromwell failed to land a winner at last year's November meeting, his overall Cheltenham record is a strong one and he can take this Grade 2 novices' hurdle with Welonlyhavedone. This former point winner dotted up on his hurdling debut at Galway last month and would likely have followed up back there last time had he not taken a tumble at the last when travelling best.

That first contest didn't look much of a race but I suspect there is plenty of substance to that latest one and the selection looks open to plenty of improvement making just his third start over timber.

Not that this will be easy, as there are plenty of others in the line-up who look open to progression, not least Heads Up, another Irish Raider that has strong claims. John McConnell's Champion Bumper runner-up made a smooth transition to hurdling at Listowel in September and the form was franked by the runner-up going in next time.

However, Heads Up hasn't been missed in the market and Welonlyhavedone looks better value at this stage.

16:00 Cheltenham - Back Alphonse Le Grande @ 11/43.75

Tony Martin seemingly holds the key to the 2m novices' handicap hurdle that closes Friday's card as he fields both Alphonse Le Grande and Bruant.

The latter is the mount of the excellent Sean Bowen and he won a couple of times on the flat when trained in France and was off the mark over hurdles at the third time of asking in the summer. That came somewhat out of the blue - as his SP of 40/141.00 testifies - but he may be fairly handicapped off 108 and the jockey booking catches the eye.

However, If Bruant looks reasonably treated off 108, stable companion Alphonse Le Grande could be chucked in from a perch of just 98.

Last year's Cesarewitch winner has developed into a useful performer on the flat and looks a much better horse now than when he last tried over timber back in 2023. He didn't cut much ice back then but, if he can translate his form on the level back to this sphere, he'll take plenty of stopping getting weight off everything.

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