Top tips from Sam - the Standard's horse-racing man (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Top tips from Sam - the Standard's horse-racing man

LAST year's Hennessy Gold Cup produced one of the tightest finishes of the year with the first eight horses home covered by just nine lengths.

It is now time for this year's showdown and finding the winner of this amazing spectacle is, at first, not easy.

But there are several ways of narrowing down the initial entry of 29 horses to a short list of possible winners.

This can be done by looking through the trends of previous Hennessy victors: history dictates that the winner is usually a second season chaser, that is, a novice last year.

With the ground invariably testing, the emphasis is usually upon stamina, and this year is unlikely to prove an exception.

With horses having to carry hefty weights in these conditions, they will find it tough indeed.

But to win a race of this calibre, the contender must have a touch of class about him and be a step ahead of the handicapper.

Top weight One Knight is an unexposed second season chaser from an in-form stable who runs well fresh, but has a lot of weight to carry.

He will give punters a good run for their money, but may find one or two too good.

Irish Hussar and Sir Rembrandt are also both unexposed and, although they both may run well, they trade at far too skinny odds for what they have achieved so far.

Haut Cercy and Gunther McBride are reliable stalwarts who could be there or thereabouts, but both may be outdone by the new young crop such as Strong Flow, Shardam, Hedgehunter and The Premier Cat, who are my selections.

Strong Flow is a potential star who jumps brilliantly despite his mishap at Aintree the run before last.

He is a huge horse with lots of scope and will have his optimum racing conditions to compete under.

When looking at the weights, I cannot help thinking that he is well in with most other contenders: for example, he receives 12lbs from Swansea Bay.

Shardam never saw another horse when trouncing his rivals at Cheltenham's Open meeting and, although this is tougher, he is progressive and will relish the test of stamina for the in form Twiston-Davies yard.

Hedgehunter runs off a featherweight for last year's winning yard of Irishman Willie Mullins. He is a highly thought of second season chaser and will take a lot of stopping in these conditions.

The Premier Cat is underexposed, as are the rest of my selections, and will enjoy the step back up in a trip after a recent fourth behind Edredon Bleu over an inadequate two miles four furlongs.

Finally, Native Performance is very overpriced at 40/1 and this Kerry National winner may be a good each-way bet under the stylish Timmy Murphy.

Top Tips: Strong Flow 6/1, Shardam 8/1, Hedgehunter 11/1, The Premier Cat 20/1, Price-check: Native Performance 40/1.

Local Top Tips. Prominent Profile: easy winner at Aintree over the weekend and is sure to win again soon for Nigel Twiston-Davies. Bourbon Manhattan: sluiced in to slam the well-regarded Bold Bishop at Aintree and will surely be one of Alan King's top novice hurdlers.

Mughas: another of Alan King's impressive Aintree winners, who may well be a step ahead of the handicapper.

Alan King now trains at Barbury Castle, near Marlborough, and one of the major up- and-coming stars in the training ranks. He is one to watch.

NB: Jonjo O'Neill took both handicaps over the Grand National fences at Aintree over the weekend with Dark Room and Clan Royal running out hard fought winners of their respective two mile five furlong and three mile three furlong heats respectively