Victory in the Stayers' Hurdle two years ago marked Bacchanal down as a future Gold Cup winner. His switch to fences has not been blemish-free but, with one of the best teams in the business behind him, Nicky Henderson's eight-year-old can claim the Festival's Blue Riband this afternoon.

Henderson and his stable jockey Mick Fitzgerald, with the help of sessions with the jumping tutor Yogi Breisner, have worked on Bacchanal's tendency to go right at his fences when he is racing left-handed, as he is today.

Bacchanal also had his own way of negotiating hurdles but that did not stop him going to the top. He ran a first-rate Gold Cup trial when beating Shotgun Willy by 12 lengths in last month's Aon Chase at Newbury.

The farther he went the stronger he looked that day and Bacchanal will not be found wanting for stamina, which has been the downfall of many fancied Gold Cup contenders over the years.

The 3 miles around Cheltenham bears no comparison with the sharp three miles at Kempton, venue for the King George VI Chase in which Bacchanal finished six lengths third behind Florida Pearl and Best Mate on Boxing Day.

With softer ground to help him as well as today's longer trip and stiffer track, Bacchanal is a fairly confident choice to overturn the Kempton form.

Best Mate, ridden patiently in order to get the trip at Kempton, is a ready-made Gold Cup winner if he has the stamina to match his natural ability. But nagging doubts remain over whether he is an out-and-out stayer.

It is certainly the case that the extra yardage of the Gold Cup drains the reserves of Florida Pearl. He was probably below par when beaten 18 lengths into third behind See More Business in 1999, but on fast ground 12 months later he was simply out-stayed by Looks Like Trouble after leading two out.

Florida Pearl responded gamely to a positive ride from the sadly now sidelined Adrian Maguire in the King George, but similar tactics will only serve to stretch his stamina.

Injury has restricted Looks Like Trouble to just two races since his finest hour here two years ago. While he galloped and jumped with all his old enthusiasm when winning a soft Wincanton comeback, this looks a stronger Gold Cup than the one Looks Like Trouble won two years ago and at around 4-1 he is no value.

One who could shock is What's Up Boys. He has tons of ability but has often looked a difficult ride and is just the sort to go well in today's first-time blinkers. Pulled up in the Aon Chase, having reportedly lost his action, What's Up Boys finished strongly to deny Behrajan in the Hennessy and he fairly motored up the Cheltenham hill when springing a 33-1 surprise in the Coral Cup two years ago.

On Hennessy form What's Up Boys should not beat Lord Noelie, who finished a highly creditable fourth and is now 16lb better off. Lord Noelie's latest running here, in unsuitably heavy ground, can be ignored but even today's going might not enable him to put his best foot forward.

Behrajan has improved since the Hennessy and followed up an impressive Wetherby win by staying on into second behind Alexander Banquet at Leopardstown where Florida Pearl, held up in a race run in very testing conditions, was well beaten in fourth. Alexander Banquet would prefer much softer ground today.

Shooting Light, preferred by Tony McCoy to Cyfor Malta, maintained his improvement for the Martin Pipe stable when successful over three miles at Ascot. He is not far short of Gold Cup class now and there may be better yet to come.

Marlborough is a useful second string for Henderson but Bacchanal (3.15) looks a cut above his stable companion.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001