12:15 Cheltenham

I Am Maximus is likely to be popular here after opening his account over hurdles at Newbury last time. He was entitled to do that though and I think he is priced up on his bumper form and reputation rather than what he has achieved over timber so far. He is clearly talented but might not be the most straightforward and something is telling me to oppose him here at a short price. HILLCREST has looked all about stamina so far and given these testing conditions he could be the value to keep his unbeaten record over hurdles intact. He won despite lacking fluency at Aintree and backed that up in no uncertain terms making all at Wetherby last time. He galloped rivals into submission that day and stamped himself as a potentially smart prospect going forward. This is obviously tougher again but I like what I’ve seen so far and 7/2 makes plenty of appeal. Get A Tonic is talented as well and isn’t out of this having won 2 from 3 over hurdles. I think she’ll be in there pitching for a long way and may even turn out to be the one to give the selection most to think about. Pull Again Green is likeable but this looks a race packed with quality.