2016 Cheltenham Festival ante post plays: Some Plan the County Hurdle punt

After being held-up in midfield, the eight-year-old made stealthy headway on the inside three from home and loomed up looking the likely winner at the second last.

However, Some Plan lost all momentum when making a costly blunder and it was to his credit that he stuck to the task well to be beaten just 2 3/4 lengths.

Revised mark looks exploitable

It was an effort which suggested the son of Winged love had a big handicap in him and, although now 5lb higher in the weights, the form of the race reads well and Some Plan’s revised mark of 145 should not be beyond him.

It’s also interesting that Nicholls has resisted the temptation to run Some Plan since – presumably to ensure his mark doesn’t go up again.

He clearly believes he has a potentially well-treated horse on his hands, and the County is the sole entry that Some Plan has at this year’s four-day spectacular.

Laid out and guaranteed to get a run

It suggests that the race has been the ultimate aim for Some Plan for some time, and another plus is that he sits 24th in the list of 96 remaining entries for the race on 10st 11lb.

The maximum field for the County is 26, so Some Plan is not reliant on others coming out of the race to get in and guaranteed to get a run.

Related

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Coral’s ante post play: Some Plan each-way at 20/1 in the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle.