Punters unearthed value bets as the Cheltenham Festival handicap weights were revealed.
The annual event at Prestbury Park gives racing fans the opportunity to find some big winners.
Betting markets for the nine handicaps over the four days change in response to marks certain runners are allotted by the assessors.
State Man, trained by Willie Mullins, has been one of the market movers in the Coral Cup market – and is 6-1 (from 9-1) with the sponsors.
"Although State Man has only won a maiden hurdle, he has a choice of Festival arrangements, including the Coral Cup, for which he's been backed down to clear favouritism since the weights were unveiled," said the firm's David Stevens.
A group of trainers were at Cheltenham to give their opinion on the handicap marks their horses were given.
Gordon Elliott, due to send his biggest team to the meeting which begins on March 15, nominated Ultima hope Death Duty as the "best handicapped" of his contenders.
Nigel Twiston-Davies, who has had a winner at every meeting at Cheltenham this season, is hoping to continue the yard’s excellent run.
"I’m not going to say who my best chance of the week is, but Fantastikas in the Ultima possibly or Ballyandy in the Pertemps Final,” he said.
Henry Daly, undecided over exciting novice Hillcrest's participation, has a few handicap hopefuls.
"“I think Honest Vic will run in the Pertemps - that is the plan," he said.
"He has got a nice weight. It went a bit wrong with him as we tried fences but he found those awfully big."
Earlier in the day, Nicky Henderson sent some of his Cheltenham squad to work at fellow Jockey Club track Kempton.
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle duo Jonbon and Constitution Hill were given a spin on the all-weather.
Henderson is the most successful UK-based handler of all-time at The Festival with 70 winners.
"They know where they are, they go out there happy as you like and all wanting to go - they enjoy it,” he said.
Three best each-way bets for the handicaps
Corach Rambler - 12-1, Ultima Handicap Chase, Tuesday
Corach Rambler hasn't had an ideal build-up to the Cheltenham Festival having unseated his rider at Ascot in February. Derek Fox had no chance of staying the saddle, at a time when his mount was still going well.
It should be all systems go for a tilt at the Ultima and if in A1 condition, Lucinda Russell's charge has a great chance in the 3m1f contest.
The eight-year-old took a novices' handicap chase at the track in December, the very same race that Happygolucky won 12 months earlier before going on to finish a fine second in that season's Ultima.
The way Corach Rambler pulled away from his nearest rival up the hill strongly suggests he had more in the locker and he looks more than capable of overcoming a 6lb higher mark at the feature meeting.
Alaphilippe - 8-1, Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle, Thursday
A mark of 138 looks just the ticket for Alaphilippe, who has a great chance of giving trainer Fergal O'Brien his first Cheltenham Festival winner.
Far from disgraced when fifth in the 2021 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, Alaphilippe's qualifying run at Warwick in January was hugely eye-catching given how well he travelled for so much of that contest.
That was his first run since last year's Festival, so it was no surprise the Gloucestershire-trained runner got tired late on.
There are certainly no queries about this horse's stamina because he won a Grade 2 event over three-miles on soft ground early in 2021.
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His rating looks on the lenient side for a horse that is still by no means exposed after just seven career starts – plus his talented handler will have him primed for a big run later this month.
West Cork - 8-1, Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle, Friday
Dan Skelton targets the County Hurdle and he has done so successfully three times since 2016.
Hopes are high that West Cork, purposely kept fresh for the race, can enhance that fine record.
West Cork marked himself down as a County Hurdle contender when he defied a 631-day absence to win the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham's November Meeting.
The form has been boosted on several occasions over the winter. West Cork has an excuse for his subsequent Ascot defeat, where he suffered an overreach during the race and connections have decided to keep him back for a County bid ever since.
The eight-year-old has been allotted a mark of 141, just 7lb above the mark of his Greatwood win.
That looks pretty reasonable given there is a strong chance he's going to be capable of an even bigger run this spring.
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