IT COULD well be that this tipping column will be penned in vain by the time you read it as nearly all the UK and possibly Irish meetings will be the subject of early Saturday morning inspections due to the recent cold blitz, but we live in hope as the covers go down on the various tracks on Friday.

Top of the shop if racing goes ahead is Cheltenham with the feature being the December Gold Cup Handicap Chase at 1.50. Five of the runners that took part in the Gold Cup will line up if we get the green light but surprisingly the third home, Midnight River, is not among them. With the Skelton team in such hot form and the good ground in his favour, that will be a blow to many that have backed him ante-post. 

That leaves Il Ridoto as the highest finisher from last month in the line-up, having come home fourth with other entries, Deyrann De Carjac (5^th), Simply The Betts (7^th), Storm Control (8^th) and Stolen Silver (unseated at the third last) also renewing rivalry here.