PAUL NICHOLLS' master plan of preparing Strong Flow (3.15) specifically for the Cheltenham Gold Cup is on the verge of fruition as the curtain comes down on the first four-day Festival meeting.

Reigning three-time champion, Best Mate, cannot be present to defend his crown after breaking a blood vessel on the gallops, but even though the contest has been robbed of significant interest, Strong Flow might still have won even if Henrietta Knight's star had turned up.

Nicholls has made no secret of the fact that he considered Strong Flow to be short of peak fitness on both his outings so far this term. In other words he's been saving the eight-year-old exclusively for this test, a very wise policy since the £350,000 contest only comes round once every 12 months.

The only possible stumbling block on the horizon is the drying ground. "Strong Flow is fine, but would not want it too quick," said Paul, indicating he might withdraw his horse if the sun continues to shine and underfoot conditions became too fast.

Of course I'm going to have egg all over my face if the leading contender from our region, Howard Johnson's Grey Abbey, eclipses his rivals and bags the Blue Riband of Chasing for the North-East.

The reason for opposing the gallant near-white gelding is two- pronged. First, Grey Abbey has not enjoyed the smoothest of run-ups after suffering from puffiness around one of his front joints during February.

Johnson reports his charge to be fully recovered plus "as fit a flea", and given his already superb record at this year's meeting, he is a dangerous man to take on.

But generally speaking Scottish National winners don't win Gold Cups, and as Grey Abbey included that race among a hefty 2004 haul, I believe he might not have sufficient speed to repel his principal opponents over the final couple of furlongs.

Whatever the fate of Grey Abbey, team Johnson has a wonderful opportunity to add to their already impressive tally with the long-time ante-post favourite, Akilak (2.00), in the two-mile four-year-old championship, the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

Akilak, part-owned by Alan Shearer, is unbeaten in two starts over hurdles, including on his debut over track and trip when, despite being allowed to go off at 50-1, he still won like a horse right out of the top drawer.

Although Akilak's stablemate, Bewleys Berry (2.35), hasn't got quite such strong claims in the following Brit Insurance Novices Hurdle, he still rates a good each-way bet in the £75,000 event.

If Bewleys Berry, a most authoritative scorer at Doncaster in January, were to get his head in front, it would be a remarkable fourth success of the week for big-spending owners, Graham and Andrea Wylie, who have invested wisely and been rewarded on jump racing's premier stage.

For those cash-strapped punters to have well and truly done their dough over the past four days, King Revo (5.20) could provide a getting out of jail card.

Patrick Haslam's gelding knows his way around Prestbury Park, having collected over track and trip at the December fixture, an invaluable fact-finding mission which will stand the Middlehan raider in good stead for the finale, the 30-runner Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle.

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