Uttoxeter

The market favourite and easy to see why — he has never finished outside the top three in any of his four career races, winning two of them, and arrives here on the back of a win at Wincanton 54 days ago. He carries the lightest weight in the field and is rated 9lbs below the field average, meaning the handicapper effectively gives him a head start over his rivals. The editorial verdict backs him to make a bright start over fences, and the evidence is hard to argue with.

The top-rated horse in the field by 4lbs, which on paper makes him the one to beat — yet the market has drifted sharply against him, suggesting punters aren't convinced. He wins roughly 1 in 3 races, the best win rate in this field, but hasn't run for three months and was beaten 38 lengths last time out. There's a gap between the rating and the recent form that's hard to ignore.

Trained by Nicky Henderson, one of the most powerful yards in the sport, and paired with jockey Nico de Boinville, who wins 40% of races they ride together — a formidable team on their day. The critical caveat is that she has never raced on normal ground conditions before, so how she handles today's surface is a genuine unknown. The market has drifted sharply from what looked like a confident opening price, which raises questions.

By far the most experienced runner here with 27 races under his belt — nearly three times the field average — and he arrives on the back of a win at Chepstow two months ago. The concern is Uttoxeter: this is a right-handed, galloping-style track, and he has won just once from 11 races on that type of course. Experienced but not ideally suited to what's in front of him today.