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THE final weekend before the Cheltenham Festival is traditionally a low key affair, but there are still some nice prizes up for grabs both on the level at Wolverhampton and over the sticks at Sandown Park with the Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle the feature event at the latter venue.

Let’s start at the Esher track where the main betting event is due to start at 2.25. With plenty of rain forecast for the course on Friday we could have ground on the soft side of good to soft and that would certainly play in the favour of Calico (found the ground too quick at Hereford last time out), the lightly raced Hydroplane and the unexposed Monviel.

All three have solid each-way claims, but the one I like most of all is the Irish raider KIHAVAH trained by Adrian Keatley. The five-year-old has endured a busy season, having raced seven times since October, but he seems to thrive on his work, winning on his most recent start at Musselburgh off a mark of 122.

A 2lbs penalty is more than offset by the 3lbs claim of the top class Kevin Brogan. Having won on soft ground, more rain wouldn’t hurt his chance and in a fast-run test up the final climb he looks the each-way value here at around the 16/1 mark.

Elsewhere on the Esher card, Keatley may well initiate a double with MONSIEUR POM POM in the opening juvenile handicap hurdle at 1.15.

On all his starts over timber this son of Pomelatto has looked in need of a real test at the trip, and will finally get that here after running at the relatively sharp tracks of Wetherby and Catterick. I think he could well be rated in the high 120s come the end of the season and gets the nod over the hat-trick seeking Langafel.

Later on, the valuable novices handicap hurdle at 1.50 looks wide open, but is normally won by a long term staying chaser in the making and course and distance winner PEEJAYBEE fits the bill nicely.

He was a smooth winner over the track in February and although the form may not be the strongest, he followed that up in a fair race at Sedgefield. The selection obviously has a lot more on his plate here, but this test looks right up his street.

DANNY KIRWAN may land the novices handicap chase at 3.35, while I am especially sweet on OFALLTHEGINJOINTS in the staying handicap chase at 4.10. He may well have been in need of his comeback run following wind surgery at Kempton Park last month, and can make the most of the weight he is set to receive from Fragrant Delitiep.

Wolverhampton hosts a cracking flat card on the Tapeta surface with some good races worth getting our teeth stuck into.

The Lincoln Trial at 2.05 has been well supported down the years and 12 runners are set to go to post this afternoon, headed by the top weight La Tihaty, who has been impressive on his two starts at Kempton Park this year.

With more to come from his improvement locker he is respected, but the old boy BLESS HIM (nb) is taken to roll back the years off his lowest handicap mark for a while. He was far from disgraced in three races at Meydan this spring – including an eyecatching third of 14 last time out – and if we get a hot pace up front, I fancy that Jamie Spencer can bring him with a wet sail to beat the top weight and the well weighted Revolutionise.

MIGHTY GURKHA is taken to make all in the class two sprint handicap at 1.31 especially, as most of his rivals like to sit off the pace. He is now fully 10lbs below the mark which saw him just touched off over the course and distance in December 2020, and has since been placed off that very same rating less than a year ago.

The Listed Wulfruna Stakes at 2.40 looks plenty competitive enough this year, but a recent winner over the course and distance off a mark of 102, VOLATILE ANALYST may be good enough stepping up to this level to see off the disappointing Highfield Princess.

The last named was way too free on her return to action at Chelmsford last month, but with that run behind her the daughter of Night of Thunder looks sure to go well here.

With Frederick Larson taking 5lbs off his back, MAWKEB looks sure to be finishing well off what is likely to be a red hot pace in the class four, nine-and-a-half furlong handicap at 3.51, and finally lose that maiden tag at the ninth time of asking.

ENDOWED may be able to mow down the top weight Night on Earth in the five furlong handicap at Kempton Park at 5.30, but for my best bet of the day I really fancy a huge race from ROYAL ARCADE (nap) in the two and a half mile handicap chase (2.10) at Ayr. He finished some nine and a half lengths off Ardera Cross over two miles here last time out, but will relish this extra half mile and is 7lbs better off with that hat-trick seeking veteran.

Finally, back down to his last winning mark, STRONG ECONOMY can make the most of a drop in grade to class four level when he runs in the staying handicap chase at 3.55. The forecast rain is very much in his favour and he looks fairly solid in a race which is unlikely to take much winning.