This race is the proverbial cavalry charge and poses a real conundrum for punters. I had one of my greatest ever results when Katarino won this race 
1:30 Cheltenham
I can only go on my interpretation of the scant form on offer and look at trends from previous winners. I came down in favour of Carlito Brigante who looks promising and has form to accompany that view. His price reflects that though and I would look to trade this horse and probably green up as his price is short. The other horse of interest is Alaivan who was a smart flat horse. Just keep an eye on the price of Advisor as the Nicholls horse will attract support solely because Ruby Walsh chose this one instead of the Mullins' horse! EDIT. The price of Carlito is now way too short. I looked at this race a bit more and Soldatino could have improvement in him
This is probably the weakest Triumph Hurdle for a few years but it is still competitive and I would not be surprised to see a big priced winner!
2:05 Cheltenham
Now where did I put that pin? Rock Noir is highly regarded and he is top weight on his UK debut. I'm sure they aren't lining up to make up the numbers and his French form gives him a shout but that is hardly good enough to go overboard. Perhaps an early position in case money does come for him? Tricky race and trading only from what I can see.EDIT Oldrik is potentially well handicapped having looked at this in more detail. The price is 12.00 on Betfair and he could be a good horse for a back to lay trade
2:40 Cheltenham
I see that Quel Esprit is going to run despite hitting the deck earlier in the week. I had a quick look at the stats I had to hand and I could not find a single horse that ran again having fallen and actually won the race. I see it is trading around 8.00 which seems very low and I think when others pick up on the trend this could be a drifter. The horse I like is Tell Massini who has put up some great performances. I have a couple of concerns in that I wouldn't want him to get too revved up and set off too fast. I am also slightly concerned about the ground as I am sure he would be even better with a bit more give. The other horse that has shown improvement over this type of trip is Shinrock Paddy and again my concern would be ground with him too. They seem to be the best two horses in this race though and I would be surprised if one of them didn't win.
The Gold Cup
My back is killing me so I will be brief. I think we need to find a horse to beat Kauto Star and that will not be Denman. I have gone through the form repeatedly, I have watched the videos and I have checked the sectional times. Please don't get me wrong, I am a big Denman fan but I think he beat a below par Kauto Star when he won the Gold Cup and he was easily put in his place when they met again the following year. I just don't think a fit Denman at his best can beat a fit Kauto Star at his best. I think Imperial Commander has a chance of beating them all. He have Kauto Star a real fright at Haydock and there were no excuses that day. Kauto Star tackled that race in rude health and he only just held on. I sat with friends and discussed this and all they kept saying was "what happened when they met at Kempton?" That was a fair question but like a lot of people they don't want to listen to the answer. I reckon the track just didn't suit Imperial Commander and anyone who has been to the track will confirm the bends are tight and it's not a galloping track. Kauto Star is a versatile athlete who can adapt to any course and in particular Kempton where he can adjust and excel while his rivals are all struggling to keep up. This game is all about opinions and that is mine for Imperial Commander's poor show at Kempton. He will enjoy the galloping track at Cheltenham and has a great record at the course. Okay so he lost a four runner race at odds-on but that was a farcical race where they had a jog around for almost 3 miles and then had a sprint for home!
The Gold Cup will be run at a true pace and the searching gallop (probably set by Carruthers and/or Denman) will find out the horses that don't truly stay 3m 2f around Cheltenham. This will suit Imperial Commander and should afford him the best possible chance of winning.
Also keep an eye on Cooldine who is no back number. He hosed up in the RSA Chase last year and hopefully is back to somewhere near his best - this horse has lots of improvement so should not be written off.
Even these two may not be good enough to dethrone Kauto Star but I think they have a better chance than Denman.
Trading was also good.
If Denman wins the lay of Kauto adds to your pot but if Kauto wins it's a double loss from your pot??