We
are now just a fortnight away from the most important National Hunt
meeting in the calendar and excitement among punters is palpable.
They will join celebrities and royals in descending upon the west of
England for the Cheltenham Festival and it promises to be another
exhilarating meeting. It begins with Champion Day on Tuesday, March
13, when fans can look forward to no fewer than four Grade 1 races.
Considering there are only 40 during the entire season, to have a
tenth of them clustered on just one day ensures that Champion Day is
a revered event.
Last
year we witnessed a fascinating Day One as The Greatest Show on Earth
returned with a bang, packed full of drama and intrigue, heroes and
villains. Nicky Henderson’s Buveur
d’Air beat stablemate My Tent Or Yours to
win the feature race of the day, the Champion Hurdle. That gave owner
JP McManus a record 50th win at the Festival, and vindicated
Henderson’s insistence on switching Buveur d’Air back to smaller
obstacles. It was also a glorious day for Irish trainer Gordon
Elliott, who won three of the seven races that take place on
Champions Day.
Elliott
landed the first race of the meeting, the Grade 1 Sky Bet Supreme
Novices’ Hurdle, through 25/1 shot Labaik. He doubled up when
Apple’s Jade claimed the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle and then saw Tiger
Roll win the JT McNamara National Hunt Chase at 16/1.
Elliott
was named leading trainer at
last year’s March Festival. He and Irish rival Willie Mullins both
claimed six winners, but Elliott enjoyed more places and ended
Mullins’ four-year winning streak. Their supremacy ensured Ireland
also secured a record Prestbury Cup win over Great Britain.
This
year, Mullins, Henderson and Elliott are the three frontrunners in
the betting lines to be named leading trainer, and each man will be
desperate to get off to a strong start on Day One. It should be
another great day for Henderson as the seemingly invincible Buveur
d’Air is the heavy favourite to win the Champion Hurdle once again.
The French-born seven-year-old bay gelding extended his winning run
to nine when he seized the Listed Contenders Hurdle at Sandown on
February 3. He is well in front in the betting to win the Champion
Hurdle, and is widely expected to win it ahead of Faugheen, My Tent
Or Yours and Yorkwell. Henderson also saddles the favourites in the
Gold Cup and Queen Mother Champion Chase and his runners are sure to
attract a lot of attention in the horse
racing spread betting.
The
other Grade 1 races on Champion Day are the Supreme Novices’
Hurdle, the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the David Nicholson Mares’
Hurdle. Apple’s Jade has been magnificent since her Cheltenham
heroics last year, winning four out of four, including the Christmas
Hurdle at Leopardstown last time out. She is the odds-on favourite to
deliver more joy for Elliott in the Mares’ Hurdle, but must contend
with Mullins’ Let’s Dance. Last year Altior won the Arkle for
Henderson and he is now the favourite to win the Queen Mother
Champion Chase this time around. Another Mullins charge, Footpad,
heads the betting for this year’s Arkle after a strong Grade 1 win
ahead of Petit Mouchoir at Leopardstown earlier this month.
The
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle looks wide open once again, despite
Getabird’s status as the heavy favourite, and it might be worth
looking at some longer shots. Sharjah has attracted a lot of
attention at 20/1, as has Claimantankinforgan at 16/1. Racegoers can
also look forward to the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase,
another contest with a really open field and the possibility for
plenty of interesting each-way shots. Presenting Percy is the
favourite for the National Hunt Chase, but it might be worth taking a
look at Mall Dini, a 16/1 shot who is taking plenty of action. The
day closes with the Close Brothers Novice Handicap Chase, which also
has no clear favourite and plenty of runners clustered around the
10/1 to 16/1 mark. McManus’ Movewiththetimes is an interesting 20/1
shot in this race.
Overall,
it promises to be another spectacular day, replete with merriment,
drama and magnificent hats. After a 12-month wait, it will be spine
tingling to hear the Cheltenham Roar once again, and it will surely
usher in another exciting Festival.
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