Punting pointers as Wholestone bids to repeat feat for Twiston-Davies

totepool Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle | 2m 3f 100yds | 4yo+ | ATR

Wholestone’s form figures of 112113 last season point to his consistency but it is one of two defeats last season that advertise his chances best on his return from a seven-month break.

A third to Penhill in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival arguably eclipsed the level of form he had shown in his two Grade 2 wins at the course last winter.

Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies said: “He was one of the top novices of last season and I think he’s been fairly weighted at 145. I’m quite looking forward to it. He’s a good horse.

“After the Albert Bartlett we thought he had done enough for the season. We won this race with Ballyoptic last season and we’ll try to do the same and then go onto the West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby. We’ll be looking at long-distance trips. But if he didn’t win we might go chasing.”

Philip Hobbs seized the spoils in 2011 and 2012 and chases the prize with another likely sort, the progressive, hat-trick seeking Louis’ Vac Pouch.

Big weights not easy to carry

Court Minstrel is the only horse to have lumped more than 11st to victory in the last decade, a negative for the 2015 winner, as well as Wholestone and, among others, Alary.

There was talk of a Cheltenham Gold Cup campaign when Alary arrived from France last winter, but he proved one of the rare disappointments of the season for Colin Tizzard.

The seven-year-old is now tried over hurdles and has been surprising Tizzard with his homework.

The trainer said: “We couldn’t find the key to him last year and we just thought we would give him a race over hurdles.

“With horses that have lost their way a little bit we like to put them over hurdles and then back over fences, and that’s what we fully intend to do with him.

“We bought him as a 3m 6f horse but on the gallops he’s fast. He’s been working well and looks fantastic, completely different to when he arrived.”

Absence not an issue

Lamb Or Cod was having his first start for eight months when winning this five years ago and such a gap between races should not deter interest in Sam Spinner.

Jedd O’Keeffe said about the winner of three of his last four starts: “His novice season was cut short by a minor, niggly, foot problem but I’m not worried about that, I think he’ll be pretty fit for this. He won first time out last year.

"We do think a lot of him and that he might be potentially fairly handicapped. But dropping him into a handicap of this nature will be difficult. It’s really whether he’s streetwise enough.”

Bags Groove is another second-season hurdler with a progressive profile. Trainer Harry Fry said: "He was a good novice and this has been the plan since he came back into work at the beginning of July. It also has for who Drumcliff didn't have much luck last season. Hopefully things can start changing for him here."

What the others say

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Old Guard and Peak To Peak
He wasn’t beaten far in the Coral Cup and he had a few other good little runs last year but he’s got it all to do at the weights. He schooled well over fences the other day so we might go back that way, but not at the minute. Peak To Peak is very well and has a nice weight but he needs to improve.

Evan Williams, trainer of Court Minstrel
He’s been a smashing old boy but he’s high enough in the weights and jeepers creepers there are enough of them in there that are going to be more progressive than us. But he’s won it before."

Sophie Leech, trainer of Milrow
The step up in trip brought about improvement at Newton Abbot and will help, he carries no weight and should have a good each-way chance.

Read exclusive previews of Saturday's action from 6pm tonight on racingpost.com