The Festival at Cheltenham is the pinnacle of jumps racing. The Grand National may be worth more prize money race, but the four days of drama set against the vista of the Cotswold Hills is a far richer experience. The best horses, jockeys and trainers join a crowd that regularly tops 250,000 across the four days for one of the great experiences in racing, anywhere in the world. The origins of this festival date back to 1860 and has been run at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire since 1911. Until 2005, the festival had been run over the three days, but this changed with the introduction of a fourth day, meaning there would be one championship race on each day.
Hurdlers Take Centre Stage
The famous roar as the tapes rise for the first race on Tuesday is one of the most iconic moments of The Festival. Champion Day features the most important hurdle race of the season, £400,000 Grade 1 Stan James Champion Hurdle, won in 2016 by the wonder mare Annie Power in a course record time. Favourite Yanworth heads 12 confirmations for this year’s two-mile test. Yanworth (Alan King), one of three contenders for owner J.P. McManus, is the $3.50 market leader with Stan James after an unbeaten campaign. The seven-year-old defeated The New One in the G1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on Boxing Day before tipping out Ch’Tibello in workman-like fashion in the G2 Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on February 18.
Brain Over Brawn
Buveur D’Air, also owned by J P McManus, heads a three-strong team for trainer Nicky Henderson. He is the $5 second favourite after cruising to victory in the Listed Contenders Hurdle at Sandown Park on February 4. Henderson also plans to run Michael Buckle’s Brain Power ($8), an impressive five-length winner of the G3 Wessex Youth Trust Handicap Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas. In his two impressive wins this season, he travelled exceptionally well in both and seems to have overcome the jumping problems that bedevilled his novice season. Henderson has been at pains to remind reporters not to forget Brain Power when quizzed about Buveur D’Air – he’ll do us at a price that still has at least two points of value.
Ruby’s Lead Telling
Perhaps the most intriguing event of the day is the £110,000 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1, 2m 4f). Willie Mullins has sent out eight of the nine winners of this race and the trainer has seven of the 28 contenders in this year’s renewal including Vroum Vroum Mag, who took the spoils 12 months ago. Limini, successful in the 2016 G2 Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, and Let’s Dance also feature among the Mullins-trained contenders, while Apple’s Jade, runner-up for Mullins in the G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle at The Festival last year, could line up for Gordon Elliott. The fact that jockey Ruby Walsh has elected to ride Limini deserves respect despite the support for Vroum Vroum Mag.
Betfair:
Bet on Henrik Stenson to become the BMW PGA Championship Winner.
Paddypower:
Back Australia to take the Ashes home with them.
Betway:
Back Rafael Nadal to become the Mens French Open Winner.
Coral:
Back One For Arthur to win the Grand National.
Bet365:
Back Mexico to win the Confederations Cup.
