Five horses to follow at Cheltenham on Friday

Tipster: Lydia Hislop.

Best odds: 7-1.

Winston Junior enhanced Minella Study’s form credentials when second to the better positioned Saratoga in Tuesday’s Fred Winter, having chased Adam Nicol’s stable star six-and-a-half lengths adrift (could have finished much closer) over the course and distance in December.

His conqueror’s Triumph prep hasn’t gone to plan, however – he missed his intended stepping-stone at Musselburgh – and a sizeable chunk of the forecast rain could be a negative for this Flat recruit, albeit that is an unknown rather than a known negative and his family stay well in that discipline. He might drift to a price worth risking on the day, however.

I liked how MAESTRO CONTI got himself out of trouble to win the course-and-distance Grade Two here on Trials Day, despite failing fully to settle. I’m going to side with his evident ability and potential for progress and trust the occasion won’t get to him.

Long-term ante-post favourite Narciso Has was clearly head-and-shoulders the best juvenile at Wille Mullins’ yard this season until a setback forced him to miss the race. Macho Man has since emerged as his deputy, but clearly not by the same margin. That said, form is always volatile among juveniles, and the yard won this with a 100/1 hurdling debutant last year.

Tipster: RaceiQ nap of the day.

Best odds: 3-1.

Tipster: Katie Midwinter.

Best odds: 4-1.

Tipster: Andy Stephens.

Best odds: 12-1.

He was disappointing, on the face of it, when only third in the Cotswold Chase last time, but it would be a mistake to dismiss him. He was held up in a slow-run race and after untimely error two out, when already playing catch-up, Harry Skelton nursed him home. Grey Dawning lost 6.22mph making that error and his speed recovery time was 3.53sec. It is probably best to judge him on some of his earlier efforts. He was No 1 in all RaceiQ departments when cruising home in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, and when he won at the Festival two years ago he gained ground at all bar one of the 16 fences (swiped a dozen lengths in total) and got a Jump Index score of 9.0. 

Tipster: Dave Nevison.

Best odds: 8-1.

Roc Dino could well be thrown in here and can round off the Festival in style for Willie Mullins.

He came over here from France after three runs but had been off a year before appearing for Mullins recently. He improved for his yard debut and looked a horse of real potential last time.

Roc Dino certainly wasn’t knocked about behind El Cairos, who ran a very good fifth in the Supreme earlier in the week, and even off an opening handicap mark of 131 could be well in. After just two runs for the best jumps yard in the business, the sky is the limit given. Mullins took this with Galopin Des Champs not long ago.