Friday ITV Racing Tips: Mark Milligan with three to back at Cheltenham

• Classico the day's best bet

• Stumptown can continue good cross country form

• Doyen Quest to follow up

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13:50 Cheltenham - Back Chianti Classico

While Friday the thirteenth may be unlucky for some, I'm hoping fortune favours us as we go into battle on the first day of Cheltenham's December meeting, with coverage of four races from jumps racing's HQ on ITV.

Chianti Classico and King Turgeon are a pair of chasers on the up and it wouldn't be a surprise if they had this 3m 2f premier handicap chase between them given their profiles.

David Pipe's King Turgeon has returned an improved model following a second breathing operation in the summer and he's won his last two starts, including the Grand Sefton at Aintree last month.

However, although still only six, he's been campaigned quite forcefully and is more exposed than Kim Bailey's year older Chianti Classico, who looked one to follow when making a winning comeback at Ascot last time.

That was just his sixth start over fences and he's had four victories in that time, including in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.

A bold jumper who travels really well, it's unlikely that a mark of 157 will be his limit and he could well develop into a lively Gold Cup contender if continuing to go the right way.

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15:00 Cheltenham - Back Stumptown

Gavin Cromwell's Stumptown has developed into a smart cross country chaser and he's fancied to complete the hat-trick in Cheltenham's 3m 5f cross country handicap.

A bit unlucky to unseat his rider at Punchestown in May (getting a hefty bump and leaving his jockey little chance of staying in the plate), he's made no mistake over cross country fences at the same course on his last two starts.

The first of those wins came just two days after that unfortunate unseat, Stumptown running out a ready winner in a race that admittedly fell apart to a certain extent (only five of the 11 runners completing).

However, the selection proved that was no fluke on his most recent outing over the same C&D, returning from seven months off to come home nearly three lengths to the good of Three By Two.

Stumptown seems a natural in this discipline and there's a possibility he could develop into a live outsider for the 2025 Grand National.

I'm hoping he can enhance his claims for that with another victory here.

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15:35 Cheltenham - Back Doyen Quest

Dan Skelton's Doyen Quest did this column a favour when overcoming an early blunder to eventually bolt up at this track during the November meeting, and I'm confident a 10lb rise may not be enough to stop him if rocking up in the same sort of form.

The six-year-old has been highly progressive over hurdles and took his form to new heights when stepping up to 3m for the first time in that November contest, showing that he possesses a potent turn of foot that isn't often seen in these sorts of races.

With conditions not likely to be too testing on Friday, the emphasis could once again be more on speed that stamina and that should play right into the hands of Doyen Quest.

This is obviously a tougher assignment that he faced last time but, still unexposed as a stayer, I'm hopeful Skelton's charge will be too speedy once again.

Of the opposition, the classy Gowel Road looks of most interest, though he does have to defy top weight once again, which will be no easy task against one who had his measure last time, even though he meets Doyen Quest on more favourable terms this time around.

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