Friday ITV Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's three to back at Cheltenham up to 3/1

• Springwell Bay can land the first on ITV

• Conflated has too many guns for cross country rivals

• Valgrand can be too sharp for Potter's Charm

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13:45 Cheltenham - Back Springwell Bay

Small fields are the order of the day in Friday's ITV races from Cheltenham, but there's no lack of interest amongst them, and this extended 3m listed novice chase has a fascinating look to it despite attracting only four runners.

With the whole field is priced at 4/15.00 or less on the Betfair Sportsbook, it's not easy to discount any of the quartet, but I was most impressed by Springwell Bay's chasing debut over 2m 4f and I'm hopeful he can follow that up here.

Jonjo and AJ O'Neill's seven-year-old was a bit sticky over the first at Chepstow but really warmed to his task after that and jumped better the further he went.

He has the look of a smart chaser in the making and it's possible that a step up to 3m over the bigger obstacles can bring about more improvement (he stayed this far over hurdles).

As mentioned, however, it's hard to rule out any of his three rivals with conviction and this is a contest I'm really looking forward to watching.

14:20 Cheltenham - No Bet

The 2m Grade 2 Shloer Chase is the highlight of the card and while I won't be getting involved from a betting perspective, there's no lack of interest for jumping enthusiasts.

All eyes will be on the top-class Jonbon as he makes his seasonal return and, barring accidents, he really should make a winning comeback.

Beaten just once in five starts last season, Nicky Henderson's eight-year-old will be a warm order to get the job done here, though this won't be a walkover by any means, with the likes of Edwardstone and Boothill (fresh from a breathing operation) in opposition.

Unexpected Party has also been declared just four days on from a good run at Carlisle, though whether he'll actually take his chance remains to be seen.

An interesting race no doubt, but not a betting one for me.

14:55 Cheltenham - Back Conflated

High-class chaser Conflated usually takes a run or two to get going and he should be spot on for this 3m 5f cross country handicap, having run in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby a few weeks ago.

With Gordon Elliott's 10-year-old keeping six of his eight rivals out of the handicap, the conditions very much favour him, and he holds a big class edge despite having to concede plenty of weight.

There are a couple of obvious caveats, the first being that this will be his first try over a cross country course and the fact that he's never run over this far, but these races are rarely a searching test of stamina. I'm hopeful Conflated will have too many guns for this bunch.

15:30 Cheltenham - Back Valgrand

This 2m 5f Grade 2 novice hurdle features two of the best in the British division that we've seen so far, with both Valgrand and Potter's Charm unbeaten over hurdles.

Both won on the same day at Cheltenham last month and Valgrand was by far the most impressive as he put daylight between himself and the smart mare Gale Mahler, who came into that on a roll having won her previous six starts.

The time backed up that performance and it's hard to see how the runner-up can reverse that form even though she's having another crack at Valgrand here.

As mentioned, Potter's Charm won on the same card, though he was less impressive, particularly in the jumping department, as he was far from fluent at a few of the flights.

He'll need to sharpen up if he's to serve it up to Valgrand and I can see that rival just being too speedy for him in this relatively small field.

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