Saturday racing blog replay| Ben Linfoot was trackside at Cheltenham with the latest on BetVictor Gold Cup day

• Blog updates by Ben Linfoot, Cheltenham Racecourse (All times GMT)

1601: The mares' bumper will be run in the Cheltenham gloom and this is where we depart as I need to finish off tomorrow's Value Bet and record a video for tomorrow's Sky Bet Supreme Trial.

It's been a typical day's sport here at Cheltenham, full of shocks (see Splash Of Ginge) and heroic performances up the hill. From a personal point of view, Paddy Brennan's aggressive ride on Perfect Candidate was the moment of the day, but you tell that to the Ginge Army.

Thanks for joining us folks.

1542: The bad news continues to trickle through as not one person managed to win the jackpot in today's Sporting Life Pick 7.

1541: Coole Cody makes all under Brendan Powell and nothing ever got near him in the conditions. Hopefully at least someone acted upon that 1526 blog post, as I didn't have a penny on and feel a bit sick.

1530 RESULT

1st Coole Cody 25/1
2nd Mischievous Max 14/1
3rd Red Indian 5/1 fav
4th Diable De Sivola 7/1

1526: They're going down for the 3.30 and there are some likely types in this with plenty of them expected to improve now they go handicapping. I've backed Coup De Pinceau for reasons given in Value Bet, but Red Indian strikes me as a big danger.

If there's one at a massive price I looked at it's Coole Cody, who is a chaser in the making and might just love these conditions. He gave plenty of weight to Paul Nicholls' Braquer D'Or last time and beat him handsomely, with that horse franking the form since he went back chasing.

1512: It looked like Anteros might win at Cheltenham again after last year's heroics but Thomas Campbell, who travelled into this ominously, found another gear to pull it out of the fire up the hill. Up 10lb from his last win here, the handicapper hasn't got hold of this massively progressively stayer yet and it will be interesting to see his next move.

1500 RESULT

1st Thomas Campbell 13/8 fav
2nd Anteros
3rd Rocky's Tresaure

1500: Desperate news from Ireland as it emerges Ruby Walsh has broken his leg following a fall on Let's Dance at Punchestown.

1454: Ginge Army! Ginge Army! His raucous owners shout home their hero in the winners' enclosure and the "I ******* told you so" from one of the most vocal of the group tells you that at least the owners have landed a right old touch on Splash Of Ginge this afternoon.

You sense not many of the packed Cheltenham crowd did.

An aptly-named winner in the rain, trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, winning the prestigious handicap for the fourth time, says "I wouldn't have backed him. But the ground came for him. I don't think he'd have kept up with them on good ground over two-and-a-half around here. We got his confidence back by running him over hurdles, there you go."

There you go. As easy as that. 50/1 this morning, he went off 25s and travelled beautifully through the race, having enough in reserve to see off the persistent Starchitect up the hill.

1434: SPLASH OF GINGE causes a major shock in the BetVictor Gold Cup as Nigel Twiston-Davies does it again. Full reaction to follow...

1425 RESULT

1st Splash Of Ginge 25/1
2nd Starchitect
3rd Le Prezien
4th Ballyalton

1424: They're down at the start and the late money is all for Kylemore Lough who is a very solid 4/1 favourite. The starter's about to let them go, good luck with your bets...

1417: George Goodenough says: "Hi Ben. Surely Double Treasure too big in the big one. Jamie Snowden produced Present View to win at the 2014 festival and he was a close third in this race in the same year when 5/1 favourite. This horse had a summer wind op and is unbeaten since with an or of 150. Ground a bit of a concern but the King’s Theatres seem to handle any underfoot conditions so at 33s he is a must have each-way selection in my book."

I like him GG, but I did think the handicapper somewhat ruined his chance for this race with that hefty rise last time. Best of luck, though.

1408: Perfect Candidate just lasts home up the hill after taking it up a long way home under Paddy Brennan, who earned his wages today. The rain that has fallen was perfect for this relentless galloper and he just has enough in reserve to see them all off. Inexplicably, probably in the excitement of me managing to back a Cheltenham winner for once, my computer's mouse pad stopped working causing a reboot, hence the delay. I can only apologise. It's the big one next.

1350 RESULT

1st Perfect Candidate 7/1
2nd Vicente 9/2
3rd Three Faces West 5/1

1343: The first of four competitive handicaps coming up now with the BetVictor.com Handicap Steeple Chase up next at 1.50. Doing Fine is a non-runner here, scratch him from your racecards, but eight still go to post for your each-way bets.Premier Bond and Minella Rocco are disputing favouritism at the moment at around the 4/1 mark, with Three Faces West an uneasy 11/2 chance. I'm on Perfect Candidate who should like this soft ground given his excellent Exeter win off 150 in such conditions, so, there is hope for this grinding-galloper.

1326: An excellent win for Black Corton and an excellent ride from Bryony Frost who asked her mount to take control after he fiddled over the third last and he responded in kind, overtaking Ballyoptic and jumping the last few better than that rival to cement the victory.

Sky Bet go 25/1 about Paul Nicholls' horse for the RSA Chase.

1315 RESULT

1st Black Corton 4/1

1317: They're off for the mallardjewellers.com Novices' Steeple Chase. Ballyoptic leading the way under Richard Johnson...

1305: Nicky Henderson is excited about that. "She doesn't show anything at all at home," he says in the pouring rain the the winners' enclosure. "I was petrified the first few bits of work she did. But she does the job. Barry schooled her once and said this is the fastest thing I've ever seen, for a three-year-old. She was very good, she's not big but a lovely temperament. It's only the second race of her whole life, she's lots to learn."

JP McManus' racing manager Frank Berry was as shrewd as ever, purveying the scene under his white brolley. "It was quite scary," he says, "listening to Nicky's reports of her homework. But that was great, something to look forward to."

Something to look forward to indeed. Sky Bet make her the 5/1 favourite from 16s, having been knocked over for the 8/1 dangled immediately after the race.

1248: Tremendous performance from Apple's Shakira, pulling well clear of Gumball. Reaction to follow...

1240 RESULT

1st Apple's Shakira Evs fav
2nd Gumball

1237: It's miserable out there compared to yesterday's late autumn sun and in the Cheltenham gloom you can see the illuminous orange odds of Gumball drifting for this opening Triumph Hurdle Trial. A strong odds-on earlier, he's even now and the late cash is for Apple Jade's sister Apple's Shakira who is into 11/8 on plenty of the bookies' boards now.

1203: It's a grey and murky Prestbury Park in stark contrast to yesterday. I'm off for a quick look before the action starts with the Triumph Trial at 1240.

1201: Ste in Blackpool says: "Are any of these BetVictor Gold Cup horses open to enough improvement to make you think they may be Ryanair types come the spring? Or is it just the proven Graded horse Kylemore Lough that could be one for that race? If so, why aren’t we all just lumping on this top weight at 6/1?!!!"

Plenty of good judges are, Ste. The 6/1 you mention has long gone and, along with Le Prezien, he's the one punters want to be with this morning.

Looking back to that December Gold Cup, which he raced off from a 2lb higher mark, he may well have won had he not stumbled three out and, like you say, he is a Grade One winner. If Harry Fry has improved him, he looks a very obvious and solid pick. Him and Le Prezien are the two that you might think could develop into a Ryanair type, the rest look like handicappers-at-best.

1143: GOING CHANGE: There has been 3mm of drizzle this morning and there is a going change, with the ground now riding Soft, Good to Soft in places.

1116: Ian from Cambridge is first up on the email machine today and he says: "Hi Ben – you often refer to the pace in your big Flat handicap previews, does this translate at all to handicap chases around Cheltenham? Where is the pace going to come from in today’s feature? I only really see Foxtail Hill as an obvious pace-setter."

Thanks, Ian. You see Foxtail, I see plenty. This could be run at a real good clip for my money with the likes of Double Treasure, Days Of Heaven, Splash Of Ginge and Foxtail Hill himself all likely to be up there with one or two other prominent racers like Starchitect and perhaps Aqua Dude as well.

It would be some performance were Foxtail Hill able to see that lot off up in trip off a 7lb higher mark and I do think you want something with the speed to lay-up off a good pace. Having said that, we've already discussed the more-testing-than-it-looks ground and it is raining here now, so stamina could well come to the fore as well.

It looks a good test, as always. You need a bit of everything.

1108: Fresh update from ITV commentator Richard Hoiles on those ground conditions...

1058: MARKET MOVERS: Three really solid market movers from Sky Bet here at Cheltenham this morning:

• 12:40 Cheltenham - Gumball 10/11 into 8/13
• 3:00 Cheltenham - Thomas Campbell 2/1 into 11/8
• 3:30 Cheltenham - Poker Play 12/1 into 8/1

That really solid money for Gumball is dead interesting against the highly-touted Apple's Shakhira in the JCB Triumph Trial that opens today's card. The full-sister to Apple's Jade gets the 7lb fillies allowance this afternoon but it seems the Gumball team, or some punters at least, are confident he can get the job done.

He looks the banker of the day for many but Thomas Campbell isn't far behind in the 3.00 handicap. 11/8 in any Cheltenham handicap looks a scary proposition to me but you can see why punters are putting their faith in him after his win here last time. Up 10lb, James Bowen takes 7lb off and he's been backed as if he's already cruising with half a mile to go.

Poker Play in the 3.30 is interesting at a bigger price for David Pipe, who opened the meeting with a winner yesterday. Down the field in the Fred Winter, much better is clearly expected of this son of Martaline this afternoon.

1039: AUDIO CENTRE: Our audio hound Mike Vince has been interviewing the great and good at Cheltenham races and even myself and Sky Bet's Michael Shinners over the last few days. Check out our audio package via the links below.

• BetVictor Gold Cup preview
• Rest of Saturday Cheltenham preview
• Sky Bet Supreme Trial preview
• David Pipe on Starchitect
• Jamie Snowden on Double Treasure
• Nicky Richards on Guitar Pete

1020: So, the ground. It's officially Good to Soft and you can hear Cheltenham's clerk of the course Simon Claisse explain that below, but several of the jockeys and trainers felt it was riding a good deal softer than that yesterday.

Ian Williams thought as much after Kapstadt finished second in the BetVictor Handicap Chase and the winning trainer, Paul Henderson, who saddled Doitforthevillage to victory, went even further than that saying: "The ground is definitely soft - there is no good in it, so I knew he would love it and thought he would win."

It's pretty cold out there, there are a few showers forecast as well, so just be careful when picking your selections this afternoon. It might say Good to Soft, put plenty here think it will be much harder work than that official description implies.

0952: Good morning all and welcome to Cheltenham on BetVictor Gold Cup day, the first really big Saturday handicap of the jumps season.

It's exciting isn't it? Yesterday's racing was good on a gloriously sunny day, but was merely an aperitif for today's more substantial cocktail of intoxicating National Hunt action.

We have a Triumph Hurdle trial, an interesting-despite-another-small-field novices' chase, four tricky handicaps and that includes the 18-runner feature, and then the mares' bumper to finish off with.

There are no non-runners. The ground is Good to Soft. Join us throughout for coverage of a race that has been won by the likes of Bradbury Star, Cyfor Malta, Lady Cricket, Our Vic, Exotic Dancer, Imperial Commander, Al Ferof and last season's victor, Taquin De Seuil, down the years.

I'm Ben Linfoot and you can get in touch via racingfeedback@sportinglife.com - please, let me know your fancies and thoughts on the email throughout the day. It promises to be a cracker.