Kevin Blake's Big Race Verdict: Back Madara to strike December Gold at Cheltenham

• Kevin Blake's verdict on Saturday's December Gold Cup

• Nicholls' Stage Star aims to emulate Frodon success

• Skelton's Madara will relish the pace and has solid chance

• Place £10 bet on any sport on the Betfair Exchange to start your Free Bet Streak

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Paul Nicholls' Stage Star is a standing dish around Cheltenham and goes for the December Gold Cup today at 13:50. He's a three-time course and distance winner and is fancied to go well again today.

However, if you fancy he'll run well without winning then you can back him to finish in the top five at the super-boosted price of 1/12.00 from 8/131.61. To take advantage of this super-boosted price just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

*Please Note: This superboost is provided by the Betfair Sportsbook and not by any of our tipsers or writers.

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Attentions turn to Cheltenham once again over the coming days and the main event on Saturday's card is the Nyetimber December Gold Cup Handicap Chase (13:50).

Frodon win remains a December Gold Cup highlight

Without question the most notable winner in the recent history of the race was the Betfair ambassador Paul Nicholls-trained Frodon. He won it while on his way up the ranks as a four-year-old in 2016, but it was his repeat victory in the race two years later off a mark of 164 that really resonated.

Making much of the running, Frodon just refused to be beaten that day. High-class horses attempting to give away lumps of weight in handicaps in the prime of their careers is largely a thing of the past, so when rare attempts end in game victories as it did that day in 2018, it really does break through.

Plenty of pace in this year's race

Anyway, enough of the obligatory nostalgia and onto this year's renewal. In terms of potential pace, there looks to be plenty of it and the race should be run at least at an even tempo and quite possibly even more strongly than that.

Gemirande is the most regular front runner in this type of contest in the field. Stage Star tends to set out to make the running, but can occasionally allow another to go on if they want to go fast enough. Grandeur D'Ame likes to race prominently and can roll even more forward to push the pace or make the running.

Ga Law likes to race prominently and can occasionally help push the pace. Le Patron raced prominently when winning a competitive handicap chase over a similar trip last time.

Stage Star is a leading contender

Right, to the contenders. Nicholls is one of the few trainers that remains willing to run high-class horses off top weight in handicaps and he is responsible for running Stage Star off a mark of 162 here.

The eight-year-old already has a big handicap off a lofty rating in his bag, having overcome a bad mistake at the final fence to win the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham's November meeting off a mark of 155 last year.

He made a fine return to action in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree off a mark of 163, shaping as though the run was needed as was the case with many of his trainer's runners at the time.

Dropped 1lb for that run, the case for him is obvious and he is likely to strip fitter here, but this still remains a big task off top weight and the likelihood of him facing competition on the front end tempers enthusiasm for his chance.

Skelton's Madara has very solid chance

It is one much further down the weights that is likely to be ridden a bit more quietly off the potentially contested pace that makes most appeal to me and that is the Dan Skelton-trained Madara.

The five-year-old was one of the unexpected headline grabbers of the Dublin Racing Festival earlier this year when winning the Ryanair Handicap Chase as one of the very few British raiders at the meeting for Sophie Leech.

Much has happened since then with him changing trainer twice, with Keiran Burke having him for one disappointing run at Ascot last month prior to him bizarrely switching to Dan Skelton and running again just a fortnight later. However, that run in the Paddy Power Gold Cup was far more promising, with him coming from a long way back to power home for fourth behind Il Ridoto.

That run went a long way to suggesting that he will be fully effective over mid-range trips and a less restrained ride is likely to be executed on him here. The likely pace of the race will very much suit him and he appeals as being handicapped to win another big race off his current mark. Harry Skelton takes over the ride and the pair look to have a very solid chance.

Now read Paul Nicholls: Big chances with course lovers in December Gold Cup