Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: No need to Gess winner of Cross Country

William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty runs his eye over Friday’s racing from Cheltenham and picks out his best bets.

Cheltenham, Friday

In the opener (12:05pm), DYSART ENOS should be hard to beat. She put in a good performance last time at Huntington and has some really strong bumper form from last season, including when winning the Grade 2 mares’ bumper at Aintree.

Grey Dawning sets the standard in the novices’ chase (12:40pm) with his third to Stay Away Fay at Exeter on reappearance and then when winning well at Haydock last time. He has got a penalty for that though so has to give away eight pounds to most of his rivals. The one that really interests me is CREBILLY. He was a faller at the second last at Cheltenham last time when still travelling really well and it looked as though he was going to get the better of the argument with winner Ginny’s Destiny at the time. He has plenty of potential and is the one I would side with, while respecting Grey Dawning.

DODDIETHEGREAT (1:15pm) was a good winner at Ascot last month, having been off the track for two years prior to that, taking his record to four wins from four starts. He did jump a little bit to his left at Ascot, so I think there are plenty of reasons why he can improve from that. He’s the standout horse in what looks a competitive race. It’s a nice touch too that all prize money he earns goes to the Doddie Weir Foundation, which raises funds for research into Motor Neurone Disease.

WALK IN CLOVER (1:50pm) was third to Triple Trade in Cheltenham last time and that horse finished third to Boothill in a strong race at Ascot since then, so that looks strong form. She’s stepping back into mares’ company from open company, so I think she has plenty of potential in a race like this.

If the ground stays soft, then LORD DU MESNIL might be worth siding with each way in the veterans’ chase (2:25pm). He’s run plenty of good races off his current mark, and having had a run already this season, he should come forward from that.

We flagged up Latenightpass in the Cross Country Chase at the November Meeting, where he ran a good race to finish second behind Foxy Jacks. I’ve got great respect for Dan Skelton’s runner, however, the one I’d be drawn to in this edition (3:00pm) is GESSKILLE, who has lots of experience over the big fences at Aintree and of chasing in France as well, so jumping around here won’t be an issue. He won the Sefton last time out, which is a strong level of form, and he looks to be on the up, and could well be a Grand National horse in the making. Of the other main contenders, I’d be a little bit concerned about Galvin on the ground, while Minella Indo has to carry a lot of weight.

TIGER JET (3:35pm) was a close third behind Springwell Bay and Gyenyame in a competitive Cheltenham handicap last time and it looked there as though a return to this trip would benefit him