Alex Hammond: Right on, Cue!

Can Cue Card now go on to collect the £1 million bonus at Cheltenham or will Vautour and Don Cossack reverse the King George VI Chase form? Alex Hammond looks ahead...

Well I don't fancy Cue Card to win the Gold Cup despite the fact it would be marvellous to see him pull off the same feat as the great Kauto Star. He has been taken to the hearts of racing fans, but just doesn't strike me as a true three-and-a-quarter-mile performer and I can't see him charging up the Prestbury Park hill to Gold Cup glory.

It would be interesting to see which race connections would have gone for were it not for the lumpy bonus: maybe they would always have gone for the Blue Riband, but with that £1m incentive on the line it must have made the choice a touch easier.

As for Vautour, he put his workmanlike win at Ascot behind him with his performance at Kempton, but I fear his best days will come over a shorter distance than the Gold Cup trip. I'm very happy with my antepost voucher on Djakadam (now 4/1 favourite with Sky Bet) and Don Cossack (5/1) is the horse I would take out of all the racing over Christmas. He was staying on at the time of his departure two fences from home and looked like he would have outstayed the front two. He just needs a bit of help with his jumping which will come under close scrutiny at the festival once again.

Don Poli can look unimpressive in his style of winning, but he ground it out in testing conditions in the Lexus. It just seems that he has to improve a bit to beat some of the protagonists in the Gold Cup and I wouldn't be rushing to back him given what we saw at Leopardstown on Monday.

Do you think Cue Card should have kept the victory in light of Paddy Brennan's whip ban?

This is such a grey area and I'm not sure we will ever get a satisfactory solution to the problem of whip rules. The general consensus after the race seemed to be that Paddy Brennan had given Cue Card a fantastic ride, but the stewards took a dim view. It was certainly a thrilling finish. I'm glad I'm not a steward, but I wouldn't have been keen to see Cue Card's connections deprived of the win. So, to answer the question I do think he should have kept the race. I think Brennan was suitably punished with his 11 day ban and £4,200 fine, which was a large chunk of his winning percentage.

Give us one horse that you've seen this Christmas that you think is worth an ante-post wager for Cheltenham?

Well, aside from Don Cossack in the Gold Cup, I wish I had backed Faugheen after his Morgiana defeat and before his Christmas Hurdle win for the Champion Hurdle!

Un De Sceaux has drifted for the Champion Chase and is now 11/8 with Sky Bet, which is starting to look attractive despite his mishap at Leopardstown on Sunday. It was an unfortunate start to his season, but he's sure to have his jumping technique worked on and I haven't been put off by it.

No More Heroes impressed me in the three mile Grade One Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday and will have a range of options at the Cheltenham Festival. He is owned by Gigginstown who as usual are mob handed and they often leave it late to confirm which horses will run in which races, so in some respects he rates a risky bet at this stage. However, this horse looks tailor made for the RSA Chase, for which he is now 7/2 clear favourite and deservedly so.

One horse I fancy for the Festival that may be worth backing before his next outing in the new year is last year's Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle runner up, Shaneshill. He's 6/1 with Sky Bet for the JLT and that looks a touch of value.

One horse I fancy for the Festival that may be worth backing before his next outing in the new year is last year's Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle runner up, Shaneshill. He's 6/1 with Sky Bet for the JLT and that looks a touch of value. He made the perfect start to his chasing campaign at Thurles a month ago and is entered to run at Naas on Sunday.

This is very much an Irish-themed answer so let's even things out by mentioning Barters Hill, who could do no more than trounce his two rivals in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury in the week. This was one of my horses to follow for the season and he is unbeaten in all his six starts. He looks a character, but he's immensely talented and is in the care of a trainer who looks set to make his mark on the jumping game in Ben Pauling.

What's your idea of the best bet in the Relkeel Hurdle? Can Cole Harden and Whisper step up from their Newbury runs?

The race has been moved rom its usual spot in December Cheltenham officials have been rewarded with a decent field entered for the two-and-a-half-mile Grade Two.

As I'm sure you know I'm an enthusiastic follower of Cole Harden having backed him to win the World Hurdle last season. He was beaten on his reappearance behind Thistlecrack (not bad form as it turns out!) and Deputy Dan in Newbury's Long Distance Hurdle, staying on pleasingly. He will strip fitter for that and better can be expected.

The one concern is that conditions were tiring that day and it's well documented he's at his best on better ground and given the stormy forecast this week I'd be worried about the state of the ground at Cheltenham on Friday.

The same comments apply to Whisper who hated the ground at Newbury too and ran a dreadful race. There must have been something amiss as he was dismounted after the post having lost his action. It can't have been too serious, but the ground in this company may have gone against him.

Whisper's handler Nicky Henderson also has the option of running Triumph Hurdle runner-up Top Notch. He had the option of the International Hurdle earlier this month, but his trainer bypassed that and could come here instead. Running here means he will be trying two-and-a-half miles for the first time, but he wasn't stopping at the end of his two outings this campaign and it could prove to be just the ticket.

Top Notch won't be inconvenienced by rain softened ground and his seconds to Irving at Haydock and to Identity Thief in the Fighting Fifth don't look like bad bits of form, with the latter giving Nichols Canyon a scare at Leopardstown on Tuesday.

Neil King is stepping Lil Rockerfeller up in class after a Listed win at Sandown at the beginning of December. Like Top Notch, he will be turning five years old on Friday and there could be plenty more to come on ground that will suit.

Virgilio is of interest on his step out of Handicap company having won his last three since joining Dan Skelton from France. He had a couple of starts for Skelton in May and was a bit keen on his seasonal debut when winning at Aintree, but in fairness he was entitled to be fresh that day and he is highly progressive.

Virgilio clearly has plenty to find on the current ratings with his more proven rivals, but there is plenty of improvement to come and if he's a decent price I wouldn't be against the idea of an each-way wager on the (just turned) seven-year-old.

However, despite my adulation of Cole Harden, I think Top Notch could get his head in front here for a well deserved first win of the season. He gets the vote.

What else particularly takes your eye on the New Year's Day card at Cheltenham?

The Dipper Novices' Chase looks like a cracker and I'm looking forward to seeing some smart chasers taking each other on in this Grade Two.

It was superb to see Lizzie Kelly become the first female jockey to ride the winner of a Grade One over jumps in the Feltham and she has another important ride in this on Aubusson, an impressive winner at Uttoxeter last time and a horse who could cope with this step up in class.

In contrast, Nigel Twiston-Davies' Blaklion has been involved in plenty of good races already and put a shaky start over fences behind him at Cheltenham last time out. He has the RSA as his ultimate aim this season, while Three Musketeers is well regarded by Dan Skelton having always been viewed as a chaser in the making and won at the Hennessy meeting on his second start of the season.

Seeyouatmidnight is a smart northern raider for Sandy Thomson and it'll be interesting to see how this bold jumper fares. It would be one hell of a performance if Drumacoo can win the race for Ben Pauling on his first run over fences and his first run for over a year. Previous trainer Michael Hourigan always considered him a chaser in the making and his two from two over hurdles is form of a decent standard.

Henderson has Vyta du Roc and Volnay de Thaix entered and Jonjo O'Neill has Minella Rocco in the field. The latter was a smart hurdler and looked an exciting chase prospect, but things haven't gone right for him yet this season and he was pulled up at the track earlier this month with a shoulder muscle problem.

Three Musketeers is the one that gets my vote at this stage but this promises to be a fascinating, informative contest.

On the same card I'm looking forward to seeing Champers On Ice if David Pipe runs him in the opening novices' hurdle. The rain that's fallen will be right up his street and he's progressive. He's not the best jumper, but I'm hoping he's learning with experience.

My old mate Village Vic could bid to follow up his win in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup a few weeks ago in potentially a super competitive Grade Three Handicap Chase. He's been raised 8lb for his win over stablemate Champagne West.

All in all it should be a cracking day at Cheltenham, to continue what has been a top drawer festive period. Good luck.