Day two; the Coral Cup; 26 runners; two bets.
DANCING ON MY OWN is the first name on the list, stepping up in trip and representing the same form-line that provided Tuesday’s runaway Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Klassical Dream.
Collateral form with that horse, which surely ran to a mark bordering 160 in that Grade 1, would point to Henry De Bromhead’s five-year-old being attractively handicapped off a mark of 145.
The step up to 2m5f should suit on pedigree – and he wasn’t stopping last time out at the business end of two miles in Grade 1 company – so five places at 16/1 is very appealing for an each-way play.
Second on the list is CRACKING SMART for Gordon Elliott, who missed the festival last year through a late setback but had boasted some solid form as a novice prior to that.
He’s run twice this season and hasn’t repeated that level of form, but Elliott expects him to carry on improving and his run behind Tiger Roll and Off You Go was of a decent standard, so he looks capable of improving past a mark of 150.
1pt each-way Dancing On My Own @14/1, 14:50 Cheltenham, Wednesday (1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 1/5 with Coral)
1pt each-way Cracking Smart @12/1, 14:50 Cheltenham, Wednesday (1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 1/5 with Coral)