Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: On the Attack at Cheltenham

Newbury, Saturday

LORD OF BISCAY might be the answer to the Horris Hill Stakes which opens up ITV’s action on Saturday (1.50pm) at 5/1. Clearly it’s all about potential at this stage, but this colt made an impression as much with the way he travelled at Yarmouth as the way he won. The stable continues in fine form and there are enough clues in his pedigree that he’ll cope with deep ground.

LONE EAGLE can give Hamish a fright in the St Simon (2.25pm) at 5/1. He’s evidently a bit fragile, but is very talented, likes soft ground and can run well fresh. He showed plenty of zest in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud and time has told that wasn’t a bad run at all.

Cheltenham, Saturday

THE HOLLOW GINGE has a pretty obvious chance in the Cheltenham TV curtain raiser (2.05pm) at 10/3. He was an excellent second at this meeting last year and is now able to race off fully 10 pounds lower. Nearly all his best runs have come fresh and he looks primed for another big effort.

DOCTOR PARNASSUS might upset the big two in the four-year-old hurdle (2.40pm) at 11/2. His run in the Triumph Hurdle doesn’t put him a million miles away from the principals, and he was much less hardened in top company. His run at Sandown can be readily ignored as he pulled both front shoes off, and he’s open to a bit more improvement than his rivals.

THE WIDDOW MAKER is the play at 11/2 in the two miler (3.15pm). A big, powerful horse, he has been something of a tearaway, but he started to click at the end of last season and looked completely comfortable at Grade One pace at Aintree. I like the drop back in trip, and he can take another step forward back in handicap company.

PANIC ATTACK looks a likely one at 17/2 in the Pertemps Qualifier (3.50pm). She marked time for a little while, but she has been largely consistent since a breathing operation, and took it to a new level with a really good run in defeat at Haydock in the spring. A thorough test on decent ground looks the ticket, and she can figure strongly in a race that isn’t full of improvers.

Doncaster, Saturday

HISPANIC is chanced at 9/2 against his shorter priced stablemate Aesop’s Fables in the Doncaster Stakes (3.00pm). Although he is way behind on bare form, he was pretty scintillating breaking his maiden last time when equipped with the blinkers. An extra furlong looks fine, and he’s from a family loaded with soft ground form (Alpinista to name but one).

STORMBUSTER is the fancy at 11/1 in the Vertem Futurity (3.35pm). From a stable with a strong record in this race, he’s been pointing to it for a while and has been improving hand over fist. Trip, track and ground will suit perfectly, I’d expect him to be positively ridden, and I’m not too bothered his Newbury victim was beaten next time – he ran into a smart one. Stormbuster’s pedigree suggests he could be up to the highest level.

CAME FROM THE DARK (11/2) is the answer to the sprint handicap (4.10pm). I thought he showed the breathing op had at least worked at Ascot last time, he’s got form here, and he’ll find this the easiest race he’s contested for quite some while.