Cheltenham Festival tips: three for Gold Cup day from Dave Nevison

is carrying the flag for the home-based trainers this week and Faivoir looks like another for the yard who can at least go close in his attempt to win this race for the second year running. 

Faivoir won the County Hurdle last year off a mark of 134 and is only 2lbs higher this time around. Tristan Durrell rides now and claims 3lbs off his back, which arguably puts the nine-year-old 1lb lower than last year's mark given the way Durrell has improved throughout this season. 

Faivoir has peaked again at exactly the right time this season, posting excellent performances in probably the two most competitive handicaps run before the Cheltenham Festival. He ran fifth in the Betfair Hurdle under a very inexperienced claimer and then was touched off by a nose in the Imperial Cup at Sandown last weekend. That fifth place at Newbury is the worst placing he has ever achieved on soft or heavy ground and he will be perfectly well suited by conditions,

He looks set to run another big race at least.

I have backed Galopin Des Champs antepost (only at 6-4) and believe he is a serious Gold Cup winner who can win back-to-back runnings. 

He showed himself to be well suited by this track as well as the Cheltenham Festival when winning the Martin Pipe over hurdles in 202 and he then would have on the Brown Advisory the following campaign but for falling in spectacular fashion at the last. He won the Gold Cup last year in convincing style despite not jumping at his best. 

Galopin Des Champs has been brought along this season to win his last two races in good style and he looks better than ever this ter,. I don’t expect him to take up the running until approaching the last fence, but I am very doubtful that any of his rivals will match his power up the run-in.

As a 10-year-old it is easy to think that

Angels Breath

has his future behind him, but in a race promoting the talent of young and up and coming riders the gelding could land a blow for the older generation. 

When he was a novice hurdler with he went off at just 6-1 for the Supreme Novices' and was 11-4 favourite for the big novice hurdle at . He got beat in both but ran very well at Liverpool and has run okay since then when switched to fences. 

Injury has limited his appearances in the meantime and trainer has decided to put Angels Breath back over hurdles this winter, over which he has run with credit. Three miles seems to have stretched his stamina and this drop back to an extended two and a half miles looks certain to suit him very well. 

rode him on his penultimate start - I think as a prelude to riding him in this race - and off his lowest-ever handicap mark and with ground to suit I can see the grey running a very big race.