1.30 JCB TRIUMPH HURDLE (GRADE 1). 2m. 179yds.

A cracking contest to start the final day of the Festival. Gordon Elliott runs two top class juveniles in Fil Dor and Pied Piper. We must respect the fact that Davy Russell has opted to ride the former but the manner of Pied Piper’s win here in January is hard to forget and this horse is proven on very soft ground. Willie Mullins saddles three, with jockey Paul Townend opting for Leopardstown Grade 1 winner Vauban. Stable companion It Etait Temps (third at Leopardstown) is likely to improve a lot and, on breeding, should handle soft ground well. Best of the British looks to be Porticello, for whom the ground has come right, but the Irish look a cut above the home crew.

Selection: PIED PIPER Next best: VAUBAN

2.10 McCOY CONTRACTORS COUNTY HANDICAP HURDLE (GRADE 3). 2m 179yds.

State Man is probably favourite based on his trainer’s record in the race (won five of the past 12 runnings) and can be expected to put in a big showing. He should handle the ground, as will Suprise Package, impressive winner of the Imperial Cup on Saturday. His trainer Peter Fahey won this race last year with Belfast Banter and, incredibly, looks to have a great chance of winning it again this year. Suprise Package has a 5lb penalty to carry for his Sandown success. The ground has gone against West Cork, Top Bandit and Gua De Large.

Selection: SUPRISE PACKAGE. Next best: STATE MAN

2.50 ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICES’ HURDLE (GRADE 1). 3m.

Always a slog, this race will be a real grueller this year. Ginto has the credentials in the book. He showed all the required attributes for a race like this when he won the Grade 1 at Naas in January and he is fairly certain to appreciate the step up to three miles. I have huge respect for Hillcrest but he is not as good a hurdler as Ginto, so the Elliott horse is narrowly preferred. Watch out for Henry de Bromhead’s Shantreusse. He is improving fast, handles heavy ground, and has a profile similar to 2019 winner Minella Indo.

Eric Bloodaxe (33/1) is an outsider to consider if you can forgive his poor showing in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown in February. That Leopardstown race was won by Minella Cocooner, but he is unlikely to get things his own way in front here, and he might not love very soft ground. The going might also be against Falcon Eight, Bardenstown Lad, Good Time Jonny and The Nice Guy.

Selection: GINTO. Next best: HILLCREST

3.30 BOODLES CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP (GRADE 1). 3m 2f.

Let’s start with last year’s winner Minella Indo. He simply never runs a bad race at Cheltenham, has won here twice before and arguably unlucky not to have won the three-mile novice chase in 2020. We’ll know early on if he is on a going day but, barring bad luck, he looks certain to take a hand. Having said that, his old rival A Plus Tard can gain revenge on him now that the ground has turned soft. He is another with lots of top-class Cheltenham form.

Galvin defeated A Plus Tard at Leopardstown and has some form on heavy ground but the suspicion is that he would be more effective on a better surface. The ground is unlikely to suit Chantry House but it will definitely suit Royale Pagaille, whose trainer Venetia Williams is in fine form.

Of the others, it’s easy to pick holes in the King George win by Tornado Flyer but previous dual Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo should be respected. There is plenty of fight left in this old dog and the fitting of first-time cheekpieces might help him avoid those occasional blunders which have cost him in the past.

Selection: A PLUS TARD. Next best: MINELLA INDO

4.10 ST JAMES’S PLACE FESTIVAL CHALLENGE CUP OPEN HUNTERS’ CHASE. 3m 2f.

Will it be third time lucky for Billaway? He was only a six-year-old when beaten 10 lengths by It Came To Pass in 2020. Last year the margin was a short-head. He doesn’t love heavy ground but he can handle it and the cheekpieces he wore for the first time at Naas last month didn’t do any harm and may help him to travel a bit sweeter, though he always finds a fair bit under pressure too.

Bob And Co defeated Billaway in a photo-finish at Punchestown last season but David Maxwell’s horse doesn’t look to be in top form this season and he was a bit disappointing on heavy ground last time out.

Winged Leader is another old rival of Billaway. He has managed to string together three wins but his form on heavy ground is not inspiring.

The going probably won’t suit the ex-Mullins-trained Pont Aven either, though he is one to watch for another day as his new connections look to have found the key to him.

Selection: BILLAWAY. Next best: PONT AVEN

4.50 MRS PADDY POWER MARES’ CHASE (GRADE 2) of 2m 5f.

Concertista is only a novice but that didn’t stop her stable companion Colreevy from winning this race last year and you can rely on Concertista to bring her A-game to the Festival. She was a fast-finishing second in the mares’ novice hurdle in 2019, won the same race easily in 2020, and was just caught on the line in the Grade 1 mares’ hurdle here last year. Her form over fences this season has been really good. Elimay was a close second to Colreevy in this contest 12 months ago but, overall, her form this season hasn’t been breathtaking. She wouldn’t be guaranteed to reverse Fairyhouse form with Mount Ida, who gave her 3lb and a one-length beating on New Year’s Day.

Selection: CONCERTISTA. Next best: MOUNT IDA

5.30 MARTIN PIPE CONDITIONAL JOCKEYS’ HANDICAP HURDLE. 2m 4f.

Last year’s runner-up Langer Dan heads the market with good reason. His trainer Dan Skelton knows how to lay one out for a Cheltenham handicap hurdle and the horse will be very unlucky to run into another Galopin Des Champs this year. The latter’s trainer Willie Mullins has a couple of interesting entries in Adamantly Chosen – an unexposed novice - and Five O’Clock, off the track since finishing seventh in this race two years ago following a troubled passage. Another eyecatcher in the 2020 edition of this race was Ilikedwayurthinkin. He started favourite that day but lost all chance when repeatedly hampered in the early stages.

There are plenty of alternatives to consider. Top weight The Very Man and bottom weight Perfect Attitude are arguably two of the best handicapped Irish hurdlers competing at Cheltenham this week. Gordon Elliott has a fine record in this race and his novice Hollow Games (wears a tongue-tie for the first time) could easily prove good enough, while stable companion Chemical Energy is unexposed at this trip. Grand Jury is another equipped with a first-time tongue tie, while Peter Fahey’s Freedom To Dream is another taking a step down to handicap company after faring respectably in graded races.

Yet another to throw into the mix is Earlofthecotswolds. A prolific winner under all codes, he is in mighty form at the moment though soft ground is not ideal for him.

Selection: LANGER DAN. Next best: THE VERY MAN