Top tips for Cheltenham on Sunday: Harry Allwood's best bets

This youngster showed bundles of promise when defeating rivals who had the benefit of experience on his bumper debut last season and it was hard not to be impressed with the way he made it two from two at Cheltenham in October.

Despite racing keenly in the early stages, the four-year-old travelled powerfully before finding plenty under pressure, and he hit the line strong, which is no surprise given his breeding suggests he will be better suited over 2m4f-plus in time.

The third has let the form down since, but it looked a decent bumper on paper beforehand, and the fact he has already proved he handles this track is a bonus.

I was lucky enough to visit Kim Bailey's yard on Monday and he advised that The Kemble Brewery has schooled well over hurdles in recent weeks, and is held in high regard at home.

Bailey has been operating at a 30 per cent strike-rate over the past fortnight (seven winners from 23 runners), and soft ground should not concern his charge who ought to prove hard to beat on his hurdling debut.

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He hasn't been the most consistent performer over the past couple of seasons, but a chance is taken on Cloudy Glen here based upon his brilliant record fresh.

His form following a 230-plus day absence reads 14113, and one of those victories came in the 2021 Coral Gold Cup off a rating of 140, which is strong form.

Venetia Williams' charge fared better than the result suggests when third in the Grand National Trial at Haydock on his return to action last season as he suffered a setback ahead of that outing, and only faded after the last.

Given his record fresh, I would be surprised if the ten-year-old wasn't primed for this contest, and Williams is in red-hot form having operated at a 43 per cent strike-rate so far this month.

Cloudy Glen finished second in the Kim Muir at this track two seasons ago and relishes soft ground, while a rating of 142 looks manageable, so there are enough positives to tempt me into backing him, despite the fact he needs to bounce back to form.

11-year-old Chambard finished second on his seasonal debut for the yard at Cheltenham on Saturday, which boosts confidence even further that Cloudy Glen won't be lacking for fitness.

Neil King was adamant Lookaway's below-par performances last season were due to a quiet spell the yard endured, and although the King team haven't been in the greatest form in recent months following a purple patch earlier in the year, Lookaway has returned to his best.

Having made the most of two good opportunities in May, the six-year-old landed the Sky Bet Novices' Hurdle over this course and distance on his return in October, and that looks a useful piece of form.

All eight contenders in that contest had won their previous outing, and there were strong vibes about at least a couple of them, so a rating of 132 certainly appears fair based upon that performance.

King has always held Lookaway in high regard, and his stable star looked a hugely exciting prospect when winning a Grade Two bumper at Aintree last season before losing his way.

His latest effort suggests he's firmly back on the upgrade now, though, and there's a win on soft ground next to his name, so it will be disappointing if he can't be competitive here.

This French bumper winner was a major eye-catcher in a fiercely competitive novices' handicap hurdle when last seen where he looked a shade unlucky not to score having suffered interference before staying on strongly.

That form has been franked multiple times since, and his exertions there, and his snug victory at Stratford in April, hint that he's going to be a horse who achieves a rating much higher than 126.

A wind op worked wonders for Nicky Henderson's youngster last season following two disappointing efforts, and with just five runs under his belt, further progress should be on the horizon this season.

Nico de Boinville has also chosen to ride Iberico Lord over stablemate Luccia, and if there's one contender here who is potentially well ahead of the handicapper, I think he's the one. He's also proven on soft and heavy ground.