Dave Nevison’s Cheltenham tips for Friday: three best bets

There are plenty of contenders in this field who don’t look to be in the best form, and the shortlist can therefore be quickly narrowed down to four contenders who can be considered as being the selection. 

That doesn’t make it easy to pinpoint one, but Leloopa does seem to have plenty going for her. She won the Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle at the October Meeting in good style, and the handicapper doesn’t appear to have been too harsh in raising her just 6lb for that success. 

Tom Broughton, Leloopa’s regular rider and won on her twice last season, was unable to claim in that race, but is able to take off his full 5lb allowance here, which pretty much negates the rise in the weights. 

That win came after an evidently successful wind operation and, given she is described as a small mare, carrying a light weight in this will also help. 

King Turgeon won this race in good style last season when completing a hat-trick of wins in staying events.

He lost his form after that, and his final three outings were disappointing, but the signs were much better when he reappeared at Aintree in November.

The seven-year-old raced over the National fences and jumped with enthusiasm, but wasn’t quick enough for 2m5f there, and gradually got outpaced plus faded out of contention. 

That was also his first run after a breathing operation, and he definitely indicated it had worked, so with his stable in good form, David Pipe’s stayer should be in top form for a repeat win off a mark just 3lb higher than last season. 

Despite Courtland being beaten off this mark of 134 on his four recent outings, I definitely think he is capable of winning a race at this level, especially in a Veterans' event, which is unlikely to contain up and coming, unexposed types. 

The Mickey Bowen-trained chaser has been most consistent and his narrow defeat behind Twig in a small-field race at Sandown looks a good effort after that rival won at Aintree last weekend.

Courtland is versatile as regards trip and his successes have mainly come at this distance or shorter, so the drop back down in trip, plus the booking of Sean Bowen, might well help him secure an overdue win.