The opening day of the Cheltenham Festival is finally here and Tuesday’s action is headed by the Champion Hurdle, a race of great prestige in the jumps calendar.
The two-mile Grade 1 has been won by many of the sport’s greats and carries a purse that totals just shy of £500,000 as the field of eight go in search of big-race glory at Prestbury Park.
Clive Gildon provides his analysis on the feature as well as some other selections on day one at Cheltenham’s marquee meeting, where they race from 1.30-5.30, with the Champion Hurdle itself due off at 3.30.
3.30 – Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1, 2m)
The Champion Hurdle totally changed complexion last week when Nicky Henderson confirmed Constitution Hill would miss the big race, having been odds-on to repeat the dose after bolting up in the 2023 running.
The void he left was immediately taken up by State Man, who is long odds-on to build on his second in the previous Champion and add to his haul of eight Grade 1s.
While he towers about the rest on form, that doesn’t mean he is bombproof as he has largely been beating up the same opponents in Ireland, and Irish Point rates a formidable new opponent.
Irish Point arrives on a sharp upward curve having dotted up in a Grade 1 over three miles when last seen, but this sharp drop in trip should be no issue on the ground given he managed to give smart mare Magical Zoe 13lb and a good beating in a 2m1f Grade 3 at Down Royal on his return.
A war of attrition on slow ground will play to Irish Point’s strengths and there is a lingering suspicion that State Man may not be at his brilliant best at Cheltenham. He can ill afford an off-day against this rising star.
1.30 - Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m)
Willie Mullins is set to saddle six runners in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Mistergif might emerge as the yard’s number one under Daryl Jacob for bosses Simon Muir and Isaac Souede.
He produced an exceptional performance at Limerick on his stable debut, setting a fierce pace and maintaining it for an 18-length strike and giving the impression he could have gone round again on ground that was notably taxing. That performance read well on the clock.
Conditions will be hard work at Cheltenham and Mistergif is expected to plough through the mud better than most. He doesn’t lack experience by dint of his exploits for former connections in France, either, so the occasion should not get to him as is often the case with many novices.
Firefox is the only horse to have beaten Ballyburn, the initial favourite for this contest, and rates the biggest danger. He didn’t stay 2m4f last time and dropping in trip looks a shrewd move by his team.
2.50 - Ultima Handicap Chase (3m1f)
Nigel Twiston-Davies has seemingly campaigned Weveallbeencaught with the Ultima in mind and he is temptingly treated off a mark of 134 on his handicap debut.
Weveallbeencaught has always been highly regarded - he went off a 7-2 chance for a Grade 1 novice hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival last term - but he hasn’t had many opportunities to strut his stuff over fences.
On a line through Grade 1-calibre stablemate Broadway Boy and Stayers’ Hurdle-bound Flooring Porter on their course-and-distance meeting in the autumn, Weveallbeencaught has snuck in off a lovely rating and his most recent outing three months ago can be ignored as he wasn’t right that day.
Chianti Classico recorded an excellent second in a good handicap chase at Kempton as a prep for this at a time when Kim Bailey’s horses weren’t firing on all cylinders. He also looks like a big player.
4.50 - Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2m)
There is a four-year-old handicap hurdle at Naas run every year that has emerged as an excellent trial for the Boodles. It has produced four of the previous five Festival winners and it is noteworthy that four who ran in the 2024 running are set to line up at Cheltenham.
The pick from that race is fourth home Nara, who boasts Listed-winning form in France and travelled well up to a point before tiring.
That run should have put her spot-on for this and she represents an owner in JP McManus who has been responsible for two of the last four Boodles winners.
However, McManus also owns Milan Tino and he is the pick. The French raider has been dropped 10lb from his French rating and is one of only three in the field with valuable experience of this track.
His formlines tie in with leading four-year-olds Sir Gino and Burdett Road, and conditions have undoubtedly come right for him.
5.30- Maureen Mullins National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase (Grade 2, 3m6f)
Despite the relatively small turnout the National Hunt Chase looks wide open.
Early favourite Corbetts Cross rates as a suspect stayer over the 3m6f trip and is clearly quirky having run out in the Albert Bartlett here last season.
He can be opposed, while Embassy Gardens also looks too short on what he has achieved. A chance instead is taken on Salvador Ziggy, whose campaign has been geared around this contest.
He returns from a 143-day break and has been kept fresh with a spring campaign in mind. It is significant that Salvador Ziggy also possesses stronger course form than the big two in the market.
The eight-year-old ran a mighty race in the 2023 Pertemps, carrying top weight as only the well-treated Good Time Johnny proved too strong. Rob James is among the best amateur riders around and is a top booking in the saddle.
Kilbeg King, with Will Biddick selected for the mount, looks an out-and-out slogger who should thrive for a thorough test of stamina. His Kauto Star third is red-hot and take him to chase home Salvador Ziggy.
