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IT IS THE obvious place to start and indeed the obvious selection, but as long as the ground isn’t riding too fast, and I’m sure they will water overnight, then GALOPIN DES CHAMPS looks a laydown to complete a famous treble in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The nine-year-old would then join the greats of this sport with a hat-trick of blue riband wins in a list that includes Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate.

Filling his lungs up at the top of the hill and outstaying his rivals has always been his main asset, and that’s why the drying ground is really the only slight worry.

However, you have to say that this year’s field is pretty ordinary and if the going does find this most marvellous stayer out, then Ahoy Senor could be the one at a massive price. Lucinda Russell reports him as being in brilliant form at home and he will relish the drying ground. As long as his jumping holds up, he and another good ground horse, The Real Whacker, could well hit the frame.

Elsewhere on the card, all eyes will be on the apparent handicap certainty of the meeting in the final race of the festival, Kopeck de Mee in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle at 5.20. He could literally be anything, but you should never be afraid of one horse in a race and so I am happy to take him on with what I perceive to be a nicely treated stayer in RAGLAN ROAD.

He was a massive eye catcher when flying home to finish fifth of 19 at Navan behind Music of Tara.

This step up in distance looks likely to be right up his street and it was nice to see a couple of Henry de Bromhead’s horses running well on Wednesday.

The Spa Novices’ Hurdle (3.20) always requires an out and out stayer to land the gold medal despite the ground being massively quicker this year, with Jet Blue and at a bigger price SOUNDS VICTORIUS both fitting the bill.

The first named was hugely impressive when winning here at the turn of the year and has been kept fresh for this tougher assignment. The selection has always looked an out and out stayer and was far from disgraced over two and three quarter miles behind Final Demand at the Dublin Racing Festival. This long striding sort will relish the test around the New Course and I doubt none will be staying on better up the final climb.

At the prices SAINTE LUCIE (1.20) could bounce back in the Triumph Hurdle, while SPIRIT D’AUNOU (2.00) could easily outrun his huge odds in the County Hurdle off his featherweight.