Too Forward can seize gold for Llewellyn

All you'll get for your trouble is the staff whinging on about the long hours they now have to work, poor dears, but what these dinosaurs have to realise is that this is the bright new future of our great sport.

Once next year's fixture list with it's record number of meetings kicks in and the Government give the expected go-ahead to the extension of betting shop opening hours, which will allow them to trade all-day, all-year round, thus enabling them to cover cards such as tonight's at Wolverhampton, the moaning minnies will look back on these as the good old days.

Anyway, what have the workforce got to complain about, there's a very clearly defined five-minute gap between Lingfield's 12.35 and the 12.40 at Wetherby in which they can have their lunch and still be back behind the counter in loads of time for the opener at this afternoon's main meeting at Cheltenham.

Highlight of that is the Paddy Power Gold Cup in which there's only one horse to be on for those who believe the best way to look for winners is to scour the field and find the horse that would provide the best story should they triumph.

Were it not for the serious injury suffered by Fondmort earlier in the week, Nicky Henderson's gelding would have been back at his favourite course today looking to repeat his 2003 Paddy Power victory and land his fifth success at Prestbury Park.

As it is, Fondmort continues his battle for survival, the good news on that front being his trainer's assessment that the ten-year-old is not yet over the hill but has turned the corner. In his absence, Henderson would surely love to win the race with his other runner Copsale Lad and that's by no means out of the question.

Runner-up in the Jewson Chase at this year's Festival, Mick Fitzgerald's mount goes well fresh and he's one of several live contenders for the 110,000 contest.

Ditto Vodka Bleu who, when last seen in action two years ago, was one of the best novice chasers in the country only for injury to halt his progress in its tracks.

How good he is now after such a long lay-off will soon become apparent, but David Pipe's public utterances certainly seem to support the theory he's still a player and off such an attractive rating as he now enjoys, it's easy to see why there's been a flood of money for him this week.

At the other end of the handicap, top-weight Taranis can't be discounted either, nor can Chilling Place who would have gone close and might even have won at Exeter last time out had he not been mugged in mid-air at the fourth last by the riderless Racing Demon.

For the winner, though, I'll stick with my long-term fancy Too Forward who is another who likes Cheltenham and who showed when scoring at Wetherby on his seasonal debut that his advancing years hadn't blunted his talent. The one niggling doubt about the selection is that trainer Carl Llewellyn suggested in a recent interview that Too Forward needed a bit of time between his races and that Yorkshire outing was only a fortnight ago.

Connections would presumably not be running him, however, if they didn't think he was spot-on and he can give Tony Dobbin a well-deserved big-race win.

We'll head back to Wetherby for the nap, King Killone rated the bet of the day in the totesport.com Chase. Harry Hogarth's charge ended last season with a highly creditable run in the Scottish Grand National and began his campaign this time round with a similarly encouraging display at Carlisle.

It wasn't until late in the race that he cracked that day and he should be capable of better still with the run behind him, his chances being further enhanced by Phil Kinsella's claim reducing his burden by a very welcome 5lbs.