5:30PM Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase – CAT TIGER
If David Maxwell can ride a winner at the Cheltenham festival, it will bring the loudest cheer of the week. By this stage, we all know his limitations as a jockey, but he has improved this season and produced arguably the best ride of his career when guiding CAT TIGER to victory at Ascot in January. He is a quirky horse, who needs to be delivered as late as possible, which should be an easier task in a big field like this. Raised 6lbs for that Ascot win, he still looks fairly treated on a mark of 142 and ought to have the class to be involved in the finish.
2:10PM Pertemps Final – SIRE DU BERLAIS
Gordon Elliott has won 3 of the last 5 renewals of this series, including 2 with SIRE DU BERLAIS, who returns for a 3rd attempt at the race. His record at the festival currently stands at 4,1,1,2 and although he has a difficult mark to overcome, he won this race in 2020 on a mark of 152 and with the very capable Rob James likely to take the ride, connections will be able to claim a useful 7lbs off his back. A big field and a strong gallop are exactly what he needs, and he could probably find his own way up the hill to the winning line at this point. This looks to be a very shrewd piece of placement by Gordon Elliott, and he looks to have every chance of winning this for a 3rd time.
