THE majority of today’s column will be focusing on the Cheltenham Festival next week (see below), but a quick word about today where the main meeting will be at Sandown Park.

The Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle (2.25) is the big prize of the day and although he has 12 stone to carry, the November Handicap winner Metier looks sure to run well for trainer Harry Fry.

However, I reckon he will have his work cut out to give 21lbs away to the lightweight KELLAHEN.

The Tom Symonds runner found the ground way too quick at Doncaster last time out and a mark of 122 gives him a huge chance here.

Half-an-hour earlier, the novices go to war in the Novice Hurdle Final and I will be having a lumpy old bet on ETALON.

The Skelton charge has a nice racing weight here and couldn’t have been more impressive at Wetherby last time out.

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL PREVIEW

With rain in the air all week, the feature race, the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday at 3.30 could turn into a real slog which makes it a truly fascinating renewal. 

Once he was asked for effort, Galopin Des Champs really fired up the Leopardstown hill last month and has every chance of getting home over an extra two-and-a-half furlongs.

He must be a dream ride as he settles so well and his fencing seems to have no flaws to it. But in such a competitive renewal, anything under 7/4 is not on my radar.

I’m not sure that the enigmatic Ahoy Senor wants an out an out stamina test, but Noble Yeats probably does and I fancy the Grand National hero to reverse Cotswold Chase form.

A Plus Tard hosed up last year because he was the best “speed stayer” in the race off a stop-start gallop and the good to soft ground is his optimum surface. Add to that his interrupted prep and he falls further down the list.

Conflated remains the forgotten horse after beating Kemboy in the Savills and we have yet to see the best of him, while if you trust the words of Dan Skelton then his under cooked Protektorat is also an each-way player should he return to the sort of form which saw him rattle home at Haydock.

There were only two-and-a-half lengths between him and our selection in last year’s race when I thought he made up too much ground too quickly last year.

Mud, mud glorious mud is what Venetia Williams’s nine-year-old wants and I think he can hit the frame at the very least under such conditions at a mighty price.

Only a fall or other mishap can stop CONSTITUTION HILL landing the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday at 3.30, while the Champion Chase on Wednesday at the same time may go the way of last year’s winner, ENERGUMENE with the recent forecast rains very much in his favour.

Soft ground conditions would certainly give him the edge over his main market rival Edwardstone.

With that recent rain making the ground already soft I now anticipate that MARIE’S ROCK will now defend her title in the Mares Hurdle on Tuesday at 4.10 and see off last year’s Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle alongside the talented Brandy Love.

Thursday’s feature, the Stayers Hurdle (3.30) may now go the way of HOME BY THE LEE who will relish the conditions and is taken to outstay the likely favourite and Hatton’s Grace Hurdle winner TEAHUPOO.

Earlier on at 2.50 the Grade 1 race will see Shishkin go off at a very short price, but I thought he had a tough race at Ascot last time out and I will be trading against him each-way with massive outsider FANION D’ESTRUVAL.

As far as the handicaps are concerned, as usual, they look very hard to predict.

Last week I was siding with Threeunderthrufive in Tuesday’s Festival Trophy Handicap Chase, but with the ground changing radically to soft that will compromise his chance.

So, I am going to go out on a limb and have an each-way play at a big price of FORTESCUE, guaranteed a place at the foot of the weights. His best form has always been going left-handed and on his Listed win at Ascot last year off a mark of 138 he has solid each-way claims rated 140.

I love a novice in the Grand Annual on Wednesday at 4.50 and that made me strongly consider Dinoblue and the prolific Final Orders.

The very well-weighted Rouge Vif runs off 137 and has claims on his old form, but wouldn’t want too much rain, so I have instead plumped for the five-year-old SAINT SEGAL who is well suited by a fast run two miles.

He couldn’t quite get to Malystic at Doncaster last time out, but the ground was as fast as he likes it that day. His biggest rival could be Elixir De Nutz, likely to run here in favour of the Plate if the ground rides testing.

I am going to take the liberty of having two against the field in Thursday’s big handicap, the Premier Handicap race starting with outsider COLTOR who had a lovely spin around Musselburgh when second (track way too sharp), but it was all about the qualification that day for the son of Free Eagle and he is only 4lbs higher here and pertinently comes here a very fresh horse.

In contrast, my other pick has gradually been running his way into form and was hugely impressive last time out when slamming 14 rivals by six-and-a-half lengths and more at Chepstow following a wind op.

An 11lbs rise in the weights may not be enough to stop Jonjo’s progressive charge THANKSFORTHEHELP.

The weather forecast suggests the ground could be at its slowest come the final day of Friday and this last race of the festival, The Martin Pipe (5.30) could turn into a real war of attrition.

As much as I respect the claims of the well-handicapped pair Imagine and Might I, I think that COOL SURVIVOR could be the pick of the Gordon Elliott team if he decides to bypass the Albert Bartlett with him.

He was a real eye-catcher when finishing strongly at Leopardstown over two-and-three-quarter miles recently and the galloping nature of the New Course should prove right up his street.