Cheltenham Gold Cup most intriguing in years The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of jumps racing, the event that gets the heart beating that little bit faster amongst national hunt fans. And despite the plethora of top quality action at Prestbury Park, there's one race that stands out above all else - the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Here, Ladbrokes' Ben Stones casts his eye over the equine superstars set to line up for the big one.... Silviniaco the best horse in the race Paul Nicholls has won the contest with greats such as Kauto Star, Denman and See More Business but his current star chaser continues to find that Festival triumph elusive. Ask a sample racing fans who is the best staying chaser in training and many will agree that Silviniaco Conti stands out ahead of the rest. A dual King George VI Chase winner, he is a worthy favourite for the contest but his record at Cheltenham is perhaps rightly so putting many punters off. A faller when travelling strongly two years ago, he jumped the final fence in the lead last season, only to wonder around up the run-in to fade into fourth. Gastric ulcers - an issue seemingly causing trouble to many of Nicholls' underperformers during the last campaign - are reported to have been rectified, and the addition of cheek pieces has worked wonders. Has Silviniaco been been unlucky at Cheltenham as his trainer implies? Or is he is simply not suited to the track and best avoided? That's the conundrum facing anyone looking to get involved in the Gold Cup market. Hat-trick chasing Holywell one of many challengers While the favourite's record at the course is patchy, the same cannot be said for Holywell. Jonjo O'Neill's charge is two from two at the Festival and clearly thrives at this time of year on decent racing ground. However, his form this season leaves a lot to be desired. You can probably link his handler's terrible run before Christmas to his lacklustre showing behind Many Clouds at Carlisle and a clumsy unseat when under pressure at Aintree. But to be getting involved with Gay Smith's eight-year-old at the prices, you'd certainly have to be looking at form from a year ago to make him a realistic candidate. While he hasn't looked at his best yet this campaign, the aforementioned Many Clouds has come on leaps and bounds. That win in the north-west set the scene for a hard-fought, yet authoritative victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. Oliver Sherwood's charge followed that up in the Betbright Cup Chase on Festival Trials day, adding that all-important course form to his record. Meanwhile, one story that most racing fans would surely love to see come out of this Festival involves AP McCoy bowing out of the Festival in fine style. Carlingford Lough is the horse tasked providing him a third Gold Cup victory, and after his Irish Hennessy Gold Cup victory, he looks in prime condition for a challenge. John Kiely's horse is a thorough stayer but he will need to jump better if he is to take the big prize. McCoy did well to stay on board when he ploughed through a fence at Leopardstown in the latter stages last time out, and he is prone to the odd error. That was certainly the case last year in the RSA Chase at the Festival, when several mistakes saw him finish back in sixth place. While he has undoubtedly improved, his price is sure to be affected by the swathes of punters betting with their hearts for a final McCoy success. Other Irish contenders include another two chasers that have come out of nowhere this season. Road to Riches has taken the Galway Plate, the JNWines.com Champion Chase and Lexus Chase on his travels this campaign, while Djakadam bounced back from a poor Hennessy run to land the Thyestes in fine style. Both will probably need to step up again but are clearly on the up and cannot be written off. Neither can defending champ Lord Windermere. Looking at his form, which reads 373 this season, you could be forgiven for passing him by. But with 879 next to his name before last year's success caution is advised. Trainer Jim Culloty is clearly bringing him along gradually once again, much like he did in 2014. The nine-year-old has perhaps looked sharper this season, his third-placed finish in the Irish Hennessy very good form. He is two from two at Cheltenham so clearly loves the place, as does another former winner in Bob's Worth. Barry Geraghty has been adamant that we cannot rule out the 2013 victor, despite his one below par run this campaign. An eight-placed 12l defeat in the Lexus was blamed on the soft ground, but his jockey claimed he "felt great". With five wins from six runs at Cheltenham it could be too early to suggest he is past it. At bigger prices the likes of outstanding novice Coneygree will be very interesting if taking his chance. Jumping from the front, few horses have been more of a pleasure to watch this season than the Bradstock's hardy stayer. After his victory at Kempton, he looked likely to be in with a shot of lining up on Friday, and should be feared. And finally, those looking for each-way chances could be drawn to the likes of The Giant Bolster given his brilliant place record in this race. Sam Winner has also put up some decent performances in the months gone by. Whichever way you look at this race, it is perhaps one of the most intriguing renewals in recent years. Who's your Gold Cup fancy? Head over to Ladbrokes.com and grab a £25 free bet!
