Ciceron capable of defying penalty

CICERON should be keenly followed in the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Handicap Hurdle at Taunton today.

Venetia Williams’ five-year-old finished last season with a real flourish, winning three on the bounce, and is seemingly returning to a similarly rich vein of form.

Ciceron began the year with a highly accomplished course and distance triumph, in which he kept at bay a number of useful sorts, including Karasenir and Tito Bustillo.