Dave Nevison: my best four bets for Cheltenham on Saturday

I am looking forward to watching a fantastic card at Cheltenham on Saturday. I will be looking on from afar, though, as I’ll be at Kenilworth in South Africa watching what is billed here as the greatest ever field for the Great Met - and is the summer highlight over here.

If I pick up any info on the card, I will post on Twitter!

Hopefully, these four will land the Each-Way Yankee and pay for some of this winter sunshine!

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Tim Vaughan is hardly the go-to trainer when it comes to Cheltenham winners but he has broken the “bock” that lingered over him for about a decade at this track and in Dalamoi he has a horse who is well worth his place at the top table.

This six-year-old was impressive on his chasing debut at Kempton in November and then went close in a hotter race off a higher mark at Chepstow. He only got as far as the sixth fence last time out but I am prepared to forgive that as a lapse in concentration.

This is a seriously competitive novices’ handicap and I wouldn’t want to back anything short in the race but the lingering effect of the Vaughan factor means Dalamoi will go off overpriced.

This horse has not let me down since I backed him to win at the Festival in March. This will be tougher, giving weight to a big field, but he looks a class apart to me.

Delta Work ran a blinder to be third in the Grand National after the Cheltenham win and though he only edged it close home from the veteran Singing Banjo on his reappearance, he idled and the victory was much cosier than the distance suggests. He can confirm his superiority despite the revised terms.

Gordon Elliot missed out by a short -head in the Theyestes chase on Thursday but still had the next three home, so I am absolutely certain Delta Work will be ready for this. The booking of crack amateur Robert James, claiming 7lb, will be a big help.

Paul Nicholls is sticking with this horse over 2½ miles and I definitely feel he is worth one more chance. The application of cheekpieces is maybe a roll of the dice by the trainer but he has shown himself to be a master in applying headgear at the right time on several occasions.

Il Ridoto has perhaps not lived up to the massive impression he made when winning at Newbury on his second start for Nicholls. He has been very highly tried and generally gone well, with his two efforts this term stacking up well. His mark has slipped a little and if the headgear give him focus then hopefully he will keep going up the hill better than previously.

- Fitzdares

– Sky Bet

– Betfred

I make Punctuation the best bet of the day. He has improved to win his past four races, typically finishing well after being held up in behind.

All readers will have seen Paddy Brennan sweeping wide in the straight at Cheltenham and coming to claim a race from the wide outside on one of Fergal O’Brien’s. This race looks the perfect scenario Brennan to do just that with a strong pace guaranteed in this big field.

Punctuation is 8lb higher than his latest win at this track but he still has only 10st 3lb to shoulder. He has so much going for him that he must be a bet.