- TC's antepost preview of Friday at Cheltenham
- Expect soft ground
- Back 40/1 chance with small stakes
It's Cheltenham all the way this week - I think I'll ignore the two Lingfield races that have infiltrated ITV's Saturday coverage - and the cracking three-day meeting kicks off on Friday.
Soft ground is good news
The ground is currently good to soft after 14mm of rain on Sunday, with more due through Monday to Wednesday, so we probably aren't looking at extremes, which is always good news for antepost punters.
I am working on the basis of soft ground.
I was hoping to make an early start on this column on Sunday morning but I was disappointed to see that no bookmaker had priced up any of Friday's ITV contests, so I had to make do with my Weighed-In prep.
Friday's markets became available on the Betfair Sportsbook on Monday afternoon and, to be perfectly honest, only one price stood out in the four races priced up.
And I am going to suggest a small win-only bet at 40/1 with Stimulating Song in the 16-strong 2m4f44yd novices' limited handicap chase at 14:20.
I certainly would not chase his price down below 25/1, as he undoubtedly has questions to answer.
The most obvious is his 25 length last-of-seven over the minimum trip at Uttoxeter last time, his first run for nearly two years.
However, he wasn't given a hard time of it at all on his return there, and his starting price of 33/1 certainly suggests nothing major was expected (Betfair SP of 40.97), and a bolder show is expected here.
He'll enjoy deeper ground and step up
It was officially good ground at Uttoxeter (though Timeform called it good to soft) and the expected deeper ground on Friday will be to his liking, as is the step up in trip from 2m.
He actually won a 2m5f handicap hurdle on soft ground at this meeting two years ago, and hopefully this has been the plan for a while as his fitness has been built up after that long break.
He is very much a hit-or-miss betting conveyance - and the Milton Harris yard is not firing as it usually is - but Stimulating Song was dropped 3lb for that chasing debut at Uttoxeter, and he is 6lb lower in this sphere than he is over hurdles. And if the forecast is worse than expected, then so much the better.
He doesn't have any other entries this weekend, so I am happy to have a very small win bet on him at 40s. Accept no lower than 25s, though.
The 3/1 favourite Banbridge is also entered up on Saturday. The progressive Found On is entered at the overnight stage at Bangor on Wednesday, and Ganapathi , Huelgoat, Margaret's Legacy, Enemenemynemo and Dom Of Mary are others to have alternative engagements this week, so this race could cut up a touch.
And hopefully we are not one of those pulled out, so we at least get a run for our money (I have no idea if he is an intended runner, so be warned).
Back on Tuesday with the weekend assessment.
Good luck.