A 10-1 ante-post bet for Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham

There are a number of short-priced favourites who are going to take plenty of stopping at Cheltenham on Saturday but the £100,000 Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase (1.50) offers us an early 10-1 chance to get stuck into in the shape of Some Scope.

The Richard Hobson-trained seven-year-old has established himself as a progressive stayer and won the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase in fluent fashion at Wetherby on his latest start to confirm he is still on the up.

He's going to be dropping back to an extended 2m 4f at the weekend, having only ever run over 3m or further over fences, but he’s no sluggard and a true-run race over shorter may suit his hold-up style even better.

Patience will surely be a virtue in Saturday’s contest as most of the horses entered in the race are usually front-runners or like to race prominently. It’s certainly not difficult to see such as Ginny’s Destiny, Gemirande, Il Ridoto, Soul Icon and Happygolucky compromising the chance of each other.

Some Scope is a solid jumper – the RaceiQ data tells us he’s gained an aggregate of 22 lengths with his leaping in his past two races -and a 4lb rise for his Wetherby success looks lenient as he was travelling best some way out. His narrow margin of victory didn’t tell half the story as he idled in the closing stages after almost certainly hitting the front too soon under 7lb conditional Charlie Maggs, who in his defence did not have a great deal of say in the matter.

Another conditional who is going places, Dylan Johnston, has been pencilled in for the ride on Saturday and that means Some Scope is likely to have just 10st 1lb to shoulder.

Conditional jockeys have been routinely outnumbered in the race but they have scooped three of the past seven renewals.

He’s proven at the track, finishing a good fourth over 3m 2f in April (when not getting home) and the present ground conditions – good to soft, good in places – will suit Some Scope, although he also seems effective on slower ground these days. Wet and windy weather is forecast for Cheltenham in the early hours of Friday, but it looks like being mainly dry before and after that.

Iroko is the general 100-30 favourite and, like Some Scope, is generally cuddled into contention from off the pace.

The 2023 Martin Pipe winner has since had his share of misfortune (including when hampered and falling at the first at Ascot last time) but he’s shown plenty of ability in his other four starts over fences and the best is almost certainly still to come.

However, he’s going to face no easy task conceding the best part of 2st to Some Scope and let’s not forget that the Randox Grand National is apparently on his agenda.

The weights for that £1 million showpiece will be released next month and I’d imagine JP McManus and his team would be happy to “stick” with a rating of 152 or thereabouts. Consequently, a staying-on third or fourth on Saturday would keep the Aintree dream alive, whereas a win – and inevitable hike in the weights – would heighten his task in the big one.