Thursday tips: Dave Nevison's top trio for Cheltenham

Despite carrying top weight of 12st here, this looks a strong bit of placing by Willie Mullins and Sainte Lucie rates nap material on her first run in a handicap. 

The juvenile filly has raced in Grade One company on her past two starts and didn’t run too badly when finishing midfield in the Triumph Hurdle. 

And a look back at her win at Punchestown makes me feel she could be very well handicapped. She won that race easily by 11 lengths and the runner-up might have challenged for Listed success at Musselburgh but for falling at the last. 

The third placed horse, Ephesus, who was a further 13 lengths back, has since won nicely at Limerick so the form has a glow. Sainte Juste is racing exclusively against her own sex here in a race nowhere near as competitive as her latest starts and she can take advantage of the drop in class. 

It is difficult for me to see these closing days of the jumps season as anything other than a battle royal between Mullins and Skelton for the trainers’ title. While this competitive Mares final has several trainers represented it is also represents a good opportunity for Skelton to continue the fight. 

Coco Mademoiselle is a winning pointer and certainly looks as though she is going to be better over fences than she was over hurdles (she was very accomplished in that field) at least judged on two of her three runs this season. 

She was a good second at Sandown last time out over 2½ miles, shaping as though this extended trip will suit her better. She is another carrying 12at but looks the part physically and will hopefully show her class here. Rain softened ground would not worry her at all. 

did me a favour when placed at big odds in a very competitive handicap at Kelso last time and I have kept her in my RacingTV tracker with a note for when she goes back up in trip. 

She has landed in the perfect race here. This big field handicap over 2½ miles exclusively for mares will suit her perfectly and the uphill finish is ideal as she always does her best work late in the day. 

Sunset Hill will always go off at a decent price due to having less fancy connections than those usually contesting Cheltenham handicaps but Susan Corbett placed Sunset Hill very well to pick up good prize money in a similarly strong event last time. It will be disappointing if Sunset Hill cannot pick up some place money at the least here.