Ben Pauling looks to hold a strong hand in this afternoon’s Imperial Cup courtesy of Jipcot and Bad.

Whilst all eyes will be looking ahead at Cheltenham next week, Pauling will be hoping to contiue his excellent run of form by landing the valuable Imperial Cup at Sandown this afternoon.

Jipcot headed the ante-post market for the prestigious two-mile handicap following his commanding Huntingdon success, for which he carries a 7lb penalty, and Pauling points to the application of a hood and tongue-tie for his recent improvement.

"Jipcot has always been a horse who we knew had ability but had just been struggling to get exactly where we wanted him. It looks like the application of a hood and tongue-tie seems to have worked the oracle," said Pauling.

"It's quite a quick turnaround, but he didn't have to do an awful lot to win at Huntingdon and he goes there in good form.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him back in some decent company. I'm not sure the 7lb will be too much of an issue and it's been a case of getting his head in the right place really."

Jipcot will be joined by stablemate Bad following some excellent placed efforts in strong handicap company and although he continues to creep up the weights, Pauling is expecting another bold showing from the grey gelding, who almost certainly deserves a change in luck.

"I was confident that going up in trip with him was the right thing to do, but with the ground being how it is and how it is going to ride on Saturday, he will be a stout stayer over two miles and I'm looking forward to seeing how he gets on," added the Naunton Downs handler.

Having been well-backed throughout the morning, Bad now tops the betting at 5/1 for the Sandown showpiece, with stablemate Jipcot only a point bigger.