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Graham Cunningham is putting sentiment to one side for his Gold Cup angles and casts his eye over the rest of Friday's card as he completes day four of his Festival rundowns.

It's a case of heart against head for most punters on Gold Cup day 2011. Hearts pull for ageing Cheltenham legends Kauto Star and Denman, while heads vote for last year's hero Imperial Commander or one of a clutch of exciting newcomers.

1. Zarkandar and Sam Winner give Paul Nicholls a very strong hand in the Triumph Hurdle at 13:30. Sam Winner's form here before Christmas gives him a major chance and any rain overnight would be a plus, while Zarkandar lacks hurdling experience but left a lasting impression when clocking a fast time on his Kempton debut.

The remote third Kumbeshwar franked that form with a fine effort in the Fred Winter and I wouldn't be at all certain that Ruby has made the right choice in picking Sam Winner.


2. Unaccompanied is the first place lay option of the day in the Triumph for a couple of reasons. First, Dermot Weld seems to think this filly needs plenty of cut in the ground to produce her very best. Second, the race she won decisively at Leopardstown has proved a very poor Triumph guide in recent years. This looks vastly stronger and I suspect she will come up short.

3: Trying to find the winner of the County Hurdle at 14:05 just makes my brain hurt, so it might be better to lay a couple in the place market in the hope of chiselling a small profit from this impossible handicap.

Step forward Alaivan and Get Me Out Of Here. Alaivan ran well in the Triumph last year and beat Wednesday's Coral Cup winner in a match on his latest start, but this looks very deep and his trainer Edward O'Grady has had a posse of fancied runners well held recently.

4. Get Me Out Of Here always seems to attract support, but he hasn't looked the same horse since being pipped by Menorah in last year's Supreme Novices and the handicapper is hardly being swift to drop him.

5. Bobs Worth sets the standard in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at 14:40. There is no flash story with Nicky Henderson's gelding other than that he's thrived on racing here this season and that he promises to relish three miles. Add in the fact that his latest win was handsomely franked by Rock On Ruby here on Wednesday and his chance looks very solid indeed.

6. Champion Court has attracted plenty of ante post support for the Albert, but his form leaves him with work to do and it was disconcerting to see him hang badly coming down the hill behind Bobs Worth here last time. With only three places on offer he looks one to take on.

7. The Gold Cup at 15:20 has had me confused for a long while and it's only with a modicum of confidence that I nominate Long Run as the value call.

Granted, his jumping round Cheltenham remains a potential headache, but his rampant King George success proves beyond doubt that he's a high-class chaser and stamina seems unlikely to be a problem if he does jump capably.

8. I'll probably be heading up the M6 by the time the Grand Annual kicks off at 17:15, but I'll be doing so with a place lay of Anquetta secured.

Nicky Henderson's gelding has improved of late, but he keeps showing a marked wayward streak off the bridle and I suspect that might find him out in the heat of the hottest two mile handicap of the season.

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