RacingPaul Nicholls's plans for the Tripleprint Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday hinge on the weather.

The Ditcheat trainer has two entries in the £100,000 chase over an extended two and a half miles, but is likely to run just one of them.

"I have got Royal Auclair and Armaturk in the race. If it stays dry Armaturk would run as I think Royal Auclair would want plenty of rain," Nicholls said yesterday.

Both horses are considered outsiders by the leading bookmakers at a general 25 to 1.

On the betting front, the Nicky Richards-trained Telemoss was the best-backed horse and was cut to 8 to 1 with Ladbrokes and William Hill.

Ladbrokes spokesman Balthazar Fabricius said: "Telemoss had been as big as 20 to 1 only a few days ago and having gone 14s, we've been forced to go 8 to 1 following sustained support today." It Takes Time, trained by Martin Pipe, is 8 to 1 from 11 to 1 with both Ladbrokes and Hills.

The going at Cheltenham yesterday was described as good, but rain is forecast.

"The going is still good, but within 24 hours it could have a bit of good to firm in it. However, we are expecting rain on Wednesday night and that would make it all good again," said clerk of the course Simon Claisse.

"They are talking of rain on Wednesday night into Thursday, then Friday and Saturday are both meant to be wet.

"We could get anywhere between 12 and 15 millimetres by the time we have finished and it could be on the slightly easy side of good."

TRIPLEPRINT GOLD CUP BETTING: Ladbrokes - 4-1 Hand Inn Hand, 9-2 Fondmort (with a run), 6-1 Iris Royal, 7-1 Risk Accessor, 8-1 It Takes Time, Telemoss, 10-1 Redemption, 11-1 Young Spartacus, 12-1 Kadoun, 14-1 Cameron Bridge, Foly Pleasant, 16-1 Ballinclay King, Cyfor Malta, 20-1 bar. Coral: 7-2 Hand Inn Hand, 5-1 Fondmort, 7-1 Iris Royal, Risk Accessor, 9-1 Redemption, It Takes Time, 10-1 Telemoss, Young Spartacus, 12-1 Kadoun. 20-1 bar.