Count on Conti to confirm form

Silviniaco Conti and Bobs Worth finished second and third respectively behind Grands Crus in the Grade 1 Feltham Chase at Kempton on St Stephen's Day and the pair meet again in this afternoon's Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot (1.50), hoping to put the final touches on their Cheltenham Festival preparations.

Bobs Worth, who won last season’s Albert Bartlett Hurdle at Cheltenham, is currently second favourite for the RSA Chase at next month’s Festival (behind the Kempton winner) and perhaps that’s a fair assessment, given that the track clearly suits him.

However, it was no fluke that Silviniaco Conti finished in front of him last time and I’ll be surprised if Paul Nicholls’ horse cannot confirm that form this afternoon.