Tony Calvin Antepost Tips: Two double price swings in Cheltenham's Greatwood Hurdle

• Tony Calvin previews the weekend action
• Ffos Las run catches the eye for one selection
• Winning form on the flat is encouraging

Big meeting, premier track, good prize money, and plenty of expected dig on the ground, so I thought it was a touch depressing to see only 21 and 19 five-day entries respectively declared for Cheltenham's Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Greatwood Hurdle this weekend.

Hopefully, that disappointment will give way to relief when the vast majority stand their ground but the Greatwood is already one shy of its maximum field of 20, and the Paddy Power is just one over it, and there is little doubt there is a worrying dearth of talent out there.

Talent, and ambition perhaps. And maybe these early-closers simply aren't working these days.

I expect pitiful entries for the novice chases and races like the Shloer Chase, but the handicaps should have far more depth surely? The lowest-rated in the Paddy Power is 126 and the Greatwood just 120, so I have no idea what is going on, with six-figure pots on offer.

Thank God the Irish are coming over en masse for the three days to bolster the numbers.

Anyway, mini-moan over, and, like Friday's ante-post piece, I am going to keep this weekend preview short and sharp.

To be honest, I don't fancy anything at the current prices in the Paddy Power, and my sole focus here is the Greatwood Hurdle on Sunday.

Intriguing comeback run

Current Mood stands out to me at 20/1 each way, four places, with the Betfair Sportsbook.

I fully appreciate that the Mullins are coming and could easily go away with the prize, as Willie's recent chase winner Dads Lad and Emmet's Thousand Tears could be well ahead of their hurdle marks.

Even after the UK handicapper has got stuck into them pretty much as harshly as he could, upping them both 11lb from their Irish levels - but I was really taken by the selection's comeback run at Ffos Las.

And surely everyone else who watched it would have been, too - the stewards probably should have asked a far more pressing question than they appear to have done - which is why I am surprised she is 20s pretty much across the board.

Normally after an "eyecatcher" like that, the horse in question is very defensively priced up.

We will return to that run shortly, but this is a horse with a fair body of work last season to suggest she is well treated off 127.

Okay, she blew out off that mark when a 17/2 chance for the 22-runner Imperial Cup last season - I'll forgive any horse a poor performance on that hurdles track when it gets testing, though - but several of her other efforts last term make her look attractively treated.

Indeed, she was rated 131 after probably the best of them, a Grade 2 third to Blazing Khal and Gelino Bello (Grade 2 and Grade 1 winners respectively afterwards) over 2m5f on good ground at this meeting last season, and her subsequent third in a close Haydock Listed race and a Chepstow win over 2m in soft weren't too shoddy either.

But the icing on the 20/1 cake is that Ffos Las run.

I appreciate Isabel Williams has a quiet riding style but let's just say that an 8 ¼-length third there gives no indication of the promise of that performance, as it very much looked a tee-up job for a valuable prize such as this.

The mare is proven on good and soft ground, so the weather can do what it likes - she also stays at lot further, which I like - and a well-run 2m in a big field could really suit her.

Indeed, she is tactically versatile as well - she made all over 2m at Chepstow, but can be ridden colder if needed - so everything is in place for a big run here.

The Irish pair, who head the market, may have a stone in hand, in which case we are playing for places only, hence my each-way recommendation. She is obviously worth considering at 20/1+ win-only on the exchange, too. She is currently 26.025/1 there.

I'd be happy to back her at 14/1 and upwards.

I don't know if she is an intended runner, but she must be, I'd have thought. I'll be gutted and poorer if they keep her back for a mares-only race down the line, anyway.

As regards the weather, the forecast looks to have improved onwards - though they have apparently had 6.2mm on Tuesday already, if I am reading Turftrax correctly, and the ground is good to soft (though it hasn't been officially updated on the BHA site at the time of publishing and I have no idea how much rain they got on Monday) - so we could be looking at a mixture of good and good to soft on Sunday if that holds true.

Flat form reads well

I can't let First Impression go unbacked at 25/1 each way, four places, either. He is currently 34.033/1 on the exchange.

He has been in good, winning, form on the Flat this autumn and is currently rated 85 in that sphere, so his hurdles mark of 124 could have some legs in it.

Indeed, he races off the same mark as his last start over obstacles, a 2 ½ length third at Haydock in April, and I reckon he should have won there.

He was trapped on the inner up the straight, and fairly flew once finally navigated to the outside, and I think he was an unlucky loser.

That run needs improving on - the form didn't really work out - and he is unproven around Cheltenham, but he has a lot more going for him than his price suggests.

John Quinn's good recent strike-rate is rather skewed by One More Dream's recent hat-trick, but it is clearly no negative, and good or good to soft ground will be ideal for him. He goes on soft, too.

I am going to make the sub happy and leave it there for now. Back on Thursday with the column for Cheltenham on Friday.

Good luck.

All exchange bets are settled at Betfair SP for sake of fairness