Cepage worth taking on with topweight after hard race last time

2.00 Cheltenham
Buy at 2.75 in match bet with Cepage on the index

Cepage has some very good form at Cheltenham, despite being winless in three starts at the track, so there are risks in opposing him in a match bet, but he had a hard race here when fourth in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup last month and is returning to action pretty quickly.

They were walking home in desperate ground at the finish there and Cepage put up one of his worst performances in a chase when he returned after just two weeks off to finish a well-beaten fourth of five in February 2018.

Kalashnikov has had a longer break since an excellent second to Oldgrangewood at Newbury in November.

He has never finished out of the first two when completing, and while his only non-completion was at this track in last season’s Racing Post Arkle, he had been badly hampered before unseating. He stands out as the one most likely to run his race.

2.00 Cheltenham

Sporting (50-30-20-10) 16-19 Kalashnikov, 11-14 Magic Saint, 10-13 Saint Calvados, Cepage, 9-12 Mister Whitaker, Oldgrangewood, 8-11 OK Corral, 6-8 Lalor, Ex Patriot, 5-7 Poker Play, 4-6 Ballyhill, 1-3 Outlander.

Match bet 1.25-2.75 Kalashnikov/Cepage.

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