Well its finally here... , it is indeed....the CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL....Day 1 >.....

Well the pundits , TFR  and anyone else involved have all done more or less nothing but talk about the Cheltenham Festival since last November and finally tmrw see its start , yes it is Day 1 og the Glorious Festival that so many people think is the be all and end all of racing...it is without doubt a special spectacle but only if your really into the NH game and i feel its a little disrespectful to some other grand meetings we have ( Aintree , Ayr etc ) ..but this week is its time to shine and i will be trying my best to land a few touches but in truth Cheltenham for me is all about placepots, Fun bets on big priced EW longshots and the occasional bank buster...this is a time to enjoy racing , a time to unwind from the daily grind of trading, hedging, arbing etc , kick back and relax and if your lucky and things drop right you can scoop big...but its not expected..so its gonna be multilicious funtime...and if any of you followed the golf bets i hope you did well on Tiger Woods , tipped at 15.2 , hit a huge 490/1 after day 1 before crashing into 5.2 on day 3 before throwing another poor round in on day 4.....some very good trades to be done there.

So without further ado lets crack on with DAY 1 of the Festival.

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DAY 1 ......BRING IT ON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)

.This promises to be a very fast run race on ground that is drying out so much that incredibly they are talking about having to water..astonishing given the amount of rain we had over the last few months , several very classy sorts here but most if not all are still on the cusp of greatness with most having to step up and all will be using this as a stepping stone for their futures.

The obvious place to start here is with IRVING a terrific sort both in looks and ability and is currently unbeaten after dispatching most of his fields with ease although its under dispute as to what he has actually beaten to date.
If im truly honest then the current 4.3 doesnt interest me at all and come tmrw if i can get a LAY on at anything under 4.1 then i will pile in...why?..well its not because i dont think it cant win because on the evidence it has shown thus far it has the ability to go to the very top but its core form is very middle park and others come here having run better races and at 3/1 ( 4.0 ) it is screaming to be taken on.

i would love to see Splash of Ginge win for me mate " Alo " but i think its an order of the tallest calling and maybe just a bit too much for this battle hardened Handicapper ..although it must be said i will be having a fun EW " just in case ".....

BG ( Barry Geraghty ) who is Nicky Henderson's retained jockey has opted not to ride Josses Hill and rightly so as this looks a nice sort but not classy enough for something like this and will find it hard to even place here plus its handicapped by having the tactically inept Andrew Tinkler doing the steering.
So BG has opted to ride Vaniteux a strapping great French bred sort by Voix Du Nord who won well lto in a tin pot race but was stuffed in a Class 2 event previously and is another that doesnt look or race like its good enough to challenge.

VAUTOUR comes here with a huge reputation after dismantling three fields of opposable ability this season and his last run was easily the best yet and this son of the brilliant sire Robin Des Champs promises to be a world beater but Irish Graded races are rarely worth the paper they are written on and are good for under writing to a large extent , nonetheless he has won very well and is one i like and 5.1 + looks a fair price for a horse with above average claims and is worth looking at twice.

At a price i feel WILD BLUE YONDER ( 30/1 ) is well worth some EW interest for the longshot backers but you have to take on trust he wont make many mistakes or fall as he has fallen last twice but arguable he would have won both of those without mistakes which would make him unbeaten in 4 runs coming intom this and then what price??...a horse with a great deal of ability if he can stand up..yes its a risk but at 30/1 or bigger im prepared to pay to find out.

and finally we have SGT RECKLESS who at 40/1 is another worthy of EW support as i feel we are yet to get to the bottom of this Imperial Dancer Gelding.

There are obviously countless others that can be expected to run big races and certainly from the huge army Willie Mullins has sent over ( has three in this alone ) and the high quality flat recruits from Bloomfields ( Ferguson ) plus a raft of horses coming here with some very strong looking form but i have to draw a line at what i want to do and where i see the value punts coming from, ......IMO the bets here are LAYS on either Vautour and/or Irving.....although i would only lay Vautour in running at around 3.8.., tough opening for punters but a great race for viewers.

BET REC : LAY on IRVING - 

RACE CARD SELECTIONS : 

WIN - VAUTOUR - 1st @ 5.01
EW - WILD BLUE YONDER - 5th @ 39.41
LONGSHOT - SGT RECKLESS - 4th @ 38.0

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RESULT -

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		15 Vautour (FR)	W P Mullins	5	11-7	R Walsh	7/2j
With leader, led 2nd, made rest, not fluent 3 out, ridden clear after last, stayed on well opened 4/1 £8000-£2000 £2000-£500 £1500-£400 £1200-£300
2nd	6	6 Josses Hill (IRE)	N J Henderson	6	11-7	A Tinkler	14/1
In touch, headway 2 out, chased winner between last 2 until approaching last, ridden and stayed on to regain 2nd flat, no impression with winner opened 16/1
3rd	½	14 Vaniteux (FR)	N J Henderson	5	11-7	B J Geraghty	11/1
In touch, effort after 2 out, ridden and stayed on to dispute 2nd flat, no impression with winner opened 12/1
4th	1	7 Sgt Reckless	M R Channon	7	11-7	D Elsworth	33/1
Behind, struggling 3rd, headway under pressure after 2 out, ridden and stayed on well flat, never reached leaders
5th	1	18 Wilde Blue Yonder (IRE)	A King	5	11-7	R Thornton	25/1
Mid-division, headway before 3 out, chased leaders next, ridden before last, kept on under pressure flat, no impression

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Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase (Grade 1)

..The second race on Day 1 is usually a tough race as there is usually little between the protagonists and this has been won by some very specials sorts in previous years , last year it was Simonsig , before that it was Sprinter Sacre and prior to them it was won b y the likes of Captain Chris , Sizing Europe and Tidal Bay so the winner will have a lot to live upto.
This years renewal is not much different as we have some super looking , quality types and none more so than Irish Challenger and top rated TRIFOLIUM who looks to have a cracking chance here of pushing onwards and upwards although this will be by some way its toughest race to date.

The top quality opposition Trifolium will have to beat includes the enigmatic ROCK ON RUBY who himself has done little over fences but has done all that is required and like Trifolium will also be put to the sword here but certainly has the ability but in all honesty i just dont know " the Jury is out "..i think my heart wants RoR to win more than it realistically can..but who knows?...5.80 is only a fair price at best and not quite enough to tempt me in...i wud be happier at around 7.6....but it should run well and will be  ( imo ) involved in the finish.

The last of the " Big Three " is CHAMPAGNE FEVER and this classy CD winner will give them all a race to remember but he has shown a soft underbelly before and is very beatable and is another that at 3.95 is worth taking on.

So its my opinion that as all the front three have a variety of questions to answer i think the value and the bets to make will come from elsewhere in the field ,  GRANDOUET and DODGING BULLETS both fall into this category and are a fair bet against the field and likely favs , both are CD winners , both are in form and both will have to improve but its likely that they will be cherry ripe for this and will def give you a top run for your money and approaching the last both should still be heavily involved and with some luck could sneak a place or better.

 BET REC : PROBET - Dutch on Trifolium , RoR and Champagne Fever for a fixed Return.

RACE CARD SELECTIONS : 

WIN - CHAMPAGNE FEVER - 2nd @ 3.90
EW -  DODGING BULLETS - 4th @ 7.80
LONGSHOT - GRANDOUET -

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RESULT -

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		9 Western Warhorse (IRE)	D Pipe	6	11-4 h	T Scudamore	33/1
Led to 2nd remained in touch, outpaced in 5th before 3 out, rallied after next, ridden and stayed on to challenge flat, led post
2nd	hd	2 Champagne Fever (IRE)	W P Mullins	7	11-4	R Walsh	11/4j
With leader, led 2nd, driven before 2 out, ridden and hard pressed after last, kept on under pressure flat, headed post £6600-£2400 £5500-£2000 £825-£300(x2) £6000-£2000(x4)
3rd	4	7 Trifolium (FR)	C Byrnes	7	11-4	B J Cooper	11/4j
In touch, tracked leader from 3rd, challenged and every chance 2 out, ridden and one pace after last, no impression with front pair flat opened 7/2 £10000-£3000 £3500-£1000 £1500-£500
4th	¾	3 Dodging Bullets	P F Nicholls	6	11-4	D A Jacob	6/1
Tracked leaders, headway on inside 3 out, driven before next, ridden last, kept on same pace, no impression in 4th flat £2400-£400

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Race 3 >..
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Baylis & Harding Affordable Luxury Handicap Chase (Grade 3)

.This is an impossible Cavalry charge , a 3m Chase packed full of ifs , buts and maybe's.....and this is a race for the needy and greedy only....any and all selections in this will be of a speculative nature only as you need more luck than judgement in order to prevail.
David Pipe has half-a-dozen entered in this at the four-day stage but relies on only The Package and Standing Ovation. The former was pulled up in the race last year behind surprise winner Golden Chieftain, who looks to have been aimed at a repeat but is 14lb higher. Fruity O'Rooney was fifth 12 months ago and second to Alfie Sherrin in 2012 when The Package finished fourth but neither of that trio make much appeal this year as they are all in the veteran stage now. You could probably place TIME FOR RUPERT in that category as well but he's lightly-raced for his age and usually runs well here. Paul Webber's charge won the National Hunt Chase at The Festival in 2010 and was fifth in the Gold Cup two years ago. He's improved with every run this season and could give connections another big victory to celebrate and he's undoubtedly well treated at present. Cantlow looks to have his fair share of weight, by comparison, while Holywell made hard work of winning a novice chase at Doncaster last time and needs to brush up his jumping though he is a recent Festival winner and stays well. He makes more appeal than Restless Harry and Newbury scorer Hadrian's Approach but Tour Des Champs was well backed when third in the Betbright Chase at Kempton last month and could have place claims again. Wrong Turn is on an upward curve but climbing the weights as a consequence and Renard has a poor record at Cheltenham.

 BET REC : NONE - 

RACE CARD SELECTIONS : 

WIN - TIME FOR RUPERT -
EW -   RESTLESS HARRY -
LONGSHOT - WRONG TURN -

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RESULT -

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		7 Holywell (IRE)	Jonjo O'Neill	7	11-6 b	R P Mclernon	10/1
£3300-£300 £10000-£1000
2nd	1¾	10 Ma Filleule (FR)	N J Henderson	6	11-4	Nico de Boinville (5)	33/1
3rd	7	13 The Package	D Pipe	11	11-2 t	T Scudamore	16/1
opened 20/1
4th	2¾	11 Green Flag (IRE)	Miss Lucinda V Russell	7	11-4	P Buchanan	16/1
opened 20/1 £8000-£400 £6000-£300

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RACE 4 >

Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1)

..Now we have arguably the best race of the day , the Triumph Hurdle and this race in all honesty will be all about the mighty HURRICANE FLY and can he win this again? having won this in 2011 and 2013 he looks as good as ever this year and in some ways looks a lot better than last year even, Unbeaten in his last 9 with his last loss being in this race by Rock on Ruby in 2012 and it will take a stellar performance to overhaul this true champion of champions.

However this year is arguably one of the toughest in recent history and we have at least 2 potential superstars on show ably backed up by some that are on the cusp of greatness but will have to show a significant level of improvement to actually win.

The first of the New Generation is THE NEW ONE from the very capable and in form yard of " Twister " Davies and i have to say..i actually love this horse , it looks great , it travels supremely well, quickens when asked, battles and usually jumps for fun , a multiple Course winner and a multiple distance winner this will race on just about any ground and ticks every box plus a few more that you have to add on...its a beast , a beauty and i really want this to win.

Next up is the enigmatic and mercurial MY TENT OR YOURS a horse that was lucky imo to win lto as TNO made a horlicks of the final fence but is certainly an improving sort that has the ability to get involved and has all the tools to be a champion....its just i have this nagging doubt its just a smidge below the level to beat a few of these.
Of the remainder i feel you could throw a blanket over them as they are so closely matched...pick one at Random and hold your breath.

 BET REC : PROBET - Dutch on My Tent or Yours , The New One and Hurricane Fly.

RACE CARD SELECTIONS : 

WIN - HURRICANE FLY -
EW -   THE NEW ONE - 3rd @ 5.0
LONGSHOT - MELODIC RENDEZVOUS -

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RESULT -

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		4 Jezki (IRE)	Mrs J Harrington	6	11-10 h	B J Geraghty	9/1
2nd	nk	6 My Tent Or Yours (IRE)	N J Henderson	7	11-10	A P McCoy	3/1
3rd	2½	9 The New One (IRE)	N A Twiston-Davies	6	11-10	S Twiston-Davies	10/3
4th		3 Hurricane Fly (IRE)	W P Mullins	10	11-10	R Walsh	11/4f

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RACE 5 >

OLBG Mares' Hurdle (Registered As The David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle) (Grade 2)

..Take one horse out and this is a wide open Handicap with almost half the field in with a shout..but that one you take out is QUEVEGA a horse that has won this same race for the last 5 years and i just see no way this loses this year either, comes into this on the back of a long break but thats not a problem as it has raced 6 times after a 60 day or more break and won every single time and looking thru this field it looks no better than a decent work a day Hcap and it would be quite a shock if any of these exposed sorts were to prove good enough to take the honors.

 BET REC : Win on Quevega.

RACE CARD SELECTIONS : 

WIN - QUEVEGA ( NAP ) - 1st @ 1.83
EW -   N/A
LONGSHOT -  CAILLIN ANAMAH -

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RESULT -

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		9 Quevega (FR)	W P Mullins	10	11-5	R Walsh	8/11f
Held up mid-division, headway 2 out, soon driven to chase leading pair, went 2nd and ridden before last, challenged flat, stayed on well to lead towards finish £2909-£4000 £2000-£2750 £1090-£1500 £800-£1100(x4) £640-£880 £400-£550(x2) £364-£500(x3) £320-£440 £290-£400(x4) £255-£350 £240-£330(x2) £218-£300 £200-£300
2nd	¾	5 Glens Melody (IRE)	W P Mullins	6	11-5	P Townend	14/1
Held up towards rear, headway on outside after 4 out, in touch when mistake next, left 2nd 2 out, led before last, ridden and hard pressed flat, kept on, headed and no extra towards finish opened 16/1

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Race 6 >

Terry Biddlecombe National Hunt Chase (Listed Amateur Riders' Novices' Chase)

..NINA CARBERRY , KATIE WALSH AND PADDY MULLINS....thats all you need to know here...these three friends but old enemies will be battling this out between them..a quality 3 way dutch.
Plenty of these have already demonstrated their staying ability. Shotgun Paddy's victory in a Grade 3 handicap over 3m5f at Warwick in January is probably the best form but the runner-up disappointed next time and whether Emma Lavelle's charge will reproduce that effort on quicker ground is a concern, though Derek O'Connor is a good jockey booking having ridden Chicago Grey to victory in 2011. Last year's successful trainer/jockey partnership team up with Suntiep but his comparative lack of experience over fences may be a problem and Foxrock could prove the best of the Irish. Ted Walsh's gelding was second in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown in December and has done little wrong since. He has the beating of Rogue Angel on Naas running in January. Jonjo O'Neill has trained the winner of this four times in the last 12 years so knows what it takes and SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR is a lot better than he showed when sent off favourite over 3m2f here in December. Placed over hurdles at last year's Festival, he's one of the few guaranteed to relish the drying ground and Nina Carberry can afford to take her time over this marathon trip. Midnight Prayer comfortably beat Adrenalin Flight in the autumn and won by a distance at Warwick last time so may prove the pick of the remainder.

BET REC : PROBET - 3 Way Dutch on Suntiep , Shutthefrontdoor and Foxrock - 

RACE CARD SELECTIONS : 

WIN - SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR - 
EW -   SUNTIEP - 3rd @ 11.50
LONGSHOT -  MERLINS WISH -

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RESULT -

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		10 Midnight Prayer	A King	9	11-6	Mr Joshua Newman	8/1
Held up in touch, mistake 14th, challenged after 18th, led before 2 out, driven and stayed on flat, held on £8000-£1000
2nd	nk	13 Shotgun Paddy (IRE)	Miss E C Lavelle	7	11-6	Mr Derek O'Connor	7/2
Held up towards rear, not fluent and plenty of mistakes, headway 20th, challenged from 3 out, every chance when another mistake and lost momentum last, stayed on well towards finish, just held opened 4/1 £1600-£400
3rd	1¼	15 Suntiep (FR)	W P Mullins	8	11-6	Mr P W Mullins	9/1
Held up in last and behind, headway when hit 2 out, still only 8th last, soon switched left, ran on strongly, went 3rd towards finish, too much to do opened 11/1

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FINALE >>>>>>>

Rewards4Racing Novices' Handicap Chase (Listed)

..This is normally won by a relatively unexposed type but we are going against the trends this year. OHIO GOLD is having his 10th start over fences but was third in this last year off a 2lb higher mark and he again ran well at the track in January when fourth to the promising Indian Castle and RSA Chase entry Annacotty. Just beaten at Kempton earlier, he looks fairly treated and could go close at big odds. Pendra has yet to prove he stays this far but there are possibilities about easy Kempton scorer Present View and Musselburgh winner Ericht will enjoy the drying ground, though was well behind the selection at Kempton and is 7lb worse off. Buywise will need to improve again to compete a four-timer but Buthelezi has plenty of natural speed and could figure if handling these stiff fences. Art Of Logistics tackles this rather than the Arkle but doesn't look particularly well treated. Dursey Sound and Close House are better handicapped but have been a tad disappointing so far over the larger obstacles. Manyriverstocross was third in last year's County Hurdle and Attaglance is a former Festival winner so they could be the pick of the remainder, though Baby Mix is also interesting.

BET REC : 

RACE CARD SELECTIONS : 

WIN - PENDRA - ( Longsdon's NAP for the week ) - 3rd @ 12.82
EW - OHIO GOLD -
LONGSHOT - PERSIAN SNOW -

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RESULT -
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There ya go .....im out playing Golf in the Morning with the " H " Bomb so may well be back later than expected, but bets are on.....let the fun begin...good luck , bet safe , bet what you can afford...enjoy the week...cya later n back for more for Tuesday ;-))..ttfn x.

Some Longshot Golf Selections for Doral WGC >

This week now we have some nice Golf action coming up with the elite 69 runner WGC Championship and all the big guns are turning up for this which is great for the punter because when the likes of Adam Scott , Tiger Woods et al are playing you can find some super value elsewhere.



The first selection to take as a long shot is GONZALO F-CASTRANO who is currently 300/1 ...why i hear you ask ?..well tbh its a bit of a leap as he is not in great form but did rattle off  3 consecutive rounds in the 60's last week in the Honda Classic to give hints of a revival and he has proven form being a 7 time European tour winner but most importantly is this....He lives here, this is his Home course, a course in which he practices daily after his move to the States over a year ago and he will know this course better than most which is worth a few shots and at the odds its worth some EW sheckles in a hope this gives him the required inspiration.


Next up > Back Rickie Fowler @ 67.0

It would have been asking a lot of Rickie Fowler to contend in the Honda Classic, just a few days after reaching finals day at the World Match Play, so there was much to like about his solid top-25 finish. Fowler's performance over several days at Dove Mountain strongly suggested that recent swing changes are paying dividends and his putting was supremely confident. If so, he is a man to watch out for at big prices on championship courses. It is notable that Fowler's best results of the past two seasons came in big Florida events - behind Tiger at Bay Hill and Matt Kuchar at Sawgrass.
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The next selection is not a Longshot  , is not original but must be included in all bets due to past form...> Back Tiger Woods @ 15.0

Just before Christmas I picked out five players you could back blind every week. One of the five, Zach Johnson, won his very first event in 2014 and last week in South Africa, Michael Hoey, who was matched at 130.0 before the off, finished second in the Tshwane Open. The last of my five is Tiger Woods and this is one of the four venues where I really fancied him to land a win. It's not hard to write him off this week given he withdrew from the Honda Classic on Sunday with back spasms and given Doral, where he's already won an incredible seven times, has been remodeled completely, but it's worth noting that Tiger has won several times after a disappointing performance and at 15.0 I'm more than happy to take a chance.
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Finally we have a " Wildcard " ...Back Jordan Spieth @ 23.0

Donald Trump's Doral architect Gil Hanse tells us his project was not a 'restoration', 'renovation' or a 'rebuild' but in fact building a brand new golf course. If that is the case then any advantage that the experienced pros had will be all but wiped away and for the youngsters, not least Jordan Spieth there will be a rare opportunity to compete on a level playing field; and I doubt anyone would relish the opportunity of taking on young Spieth on a level playing field. With question marks over the players at the very top of the betting, the American wonder kid is my selection to continue his excellent start to the season
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Enjoy and Good Luck.

Almost that time...one week to go....

Morning folks ,
                        And yes indeed it is almost that special time , the week where dreams are made or broken , where a years worth of planning comes to fruition or fails yes its CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL time a week that most NH fans , owners and trainers all look upon as the pinnacle of the sport , this however is not my view entirely as i also think the Aintrree GN meeting is packed with quality and holds races that are the equal of many of these and in some ways the big Ayr meeting is a quality turn out but it is true that most look at this as the be all and end all of racing.....( Obviously not a patch on Royal Ascot or Glorious Goodwood ) .

Many Horses are being touted as " Bankers " , " Certs " and " Good Things " but the reality is that there is no such thing as these meetings bring the best of the best together and the hcaps always have one or two " thrown in "...

Well lets look at a few of the principal races and runners involved ( i will be doing full race cards for each day on the day ).

DAY 1 >
The SUPREME ...

Race Facts

1. The Stan James Supreme Novices’ Hurdle was known as the Gloucestershire Hurdle until 1974. Capel Cure Sharp backed the contest in 2000 and the company, which became Gerrard Wealth Management, supported the race until 2003. Racecourse caterers Letheby & Christopher became the sixth sponsor since the initial backer Lloyds Bank in 1974 when supporting the event in 2004 and 2005, while Anglo Irish Bank was the sponsor from 2006 to 2008. Bookmaker William Hill sponsored the race in 2009 and in 2010 the backers were the Stewart Family, on behalf of the charity Spinal Research. Stan James took over the sponsorship in 2011.

2. The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is the only race at The Festival to have been divided. From 1946-1971 when known as the Gloucestershire Novices’ Hurdle, it divided on no less than 25 occasions. In 1963 and 1946 there were even three divisions. 

3. The oldest horse to have won was 12-year-old Beau Caprice in 1966 (Div One). Three eight-year-olds have also been successful - Like-A-Butterfly in 2002, Sondrio in 1989 and Boys Hurrah in 1956 (Div One).

4. The 1993 winner, Montelado, holds a unique position in the history of The Festival at Cheltenham. He is the only horse to have won consecutive Festival races, landing the Weatherbys Champion Bumper in 1992, the last race of that year’s meeting, and returning to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 1993, the first race 12 months later.

5. The Supreme Novices’ Hurdle has thrown up one winner of the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup and three Champion Hurdle heroes. L'Escargot won in 1968, before consecutive Gold Cup triumphs in 1970 and 1971. Bula scored in 1970, before Champion Hurdle victories in 1971 and 1972, the 2002 Champion Hurdle winner Hors La Loi III took the race in 1999, and Brave Inca took the Champion Hurdle in 2006 having landed the novice event two years earlier.

6. The race has been won by Irish-trained raiders on no less than 38 occasions, and by the French once. Of the 16 divisions from 1952-59, Vincent O'Brien won an amazing 10. Ireland also kept a stranglehold on the race for seven years from 1977-83 and has won seven of the last 10 runnings, most recently with Go Native in 2009.

7. The smallest field was in 1950, with nine runners in Division 1, and the largest, 30 runners, for both Harry Hastings' win in 1985 and French Ballerina’s success in 1998. The maximum field allowed is now 24.

8. Since the race ceased to be divided, big-name jockeys have found the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle difficult to win. Tony McCoy, successful on Hors La Loi III in 1999, is the only one of the last four champion jockeys to have scored in this particular contest, and only Charlie Swan (1993 and 2002), Tommy Carmody (1980 and 1983) and Niall (Boots) Madden (1978 and 1981) have been successful twice.

9. The longest-priced winner was Arctic Kinsman at 50/1 in 1994, while the 2007 victor Ebaziyan is one of only two 40/1 shots to have scored. The shortest-priced winners at 4/9 were Tsaoko in 1950 and Flyingbolt in 1964. Favourites have been successful eight times in the 39 runnings since 1972, with three of the last 10 winning.

10. The fastest time for the winning horse was achieved by Montelado in 1993 at 3m 50.6s. French Ballerina came close to that record in 1998 when her time was 3m 50.9s...

Horses of Note for this years renewal are >..

1. IRVING ( 5/2 ) -
&
2. VAUTOUR ( 3/1 ) -

Neither of these represent any real value in a race that is a grave yard for Favs but both look to be heading to the top and it would be no surprise to see either winning and at this stage i think Irving is the outstanding horse....however it has beaten little of note with a lot of its opposition under performing making some of its wins look better than they were.. and i do feel we can look elsewhere for a " Value " bet...

My idea of Value in this would be either FAUGHEEN ( as low as 7/1 with Boylesports , Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook > 47/1 on the Exchange < but INCREDIBLY as high as 33/1 with Unibet , Sporting bet and 888 and also 25/1 at Hills' )  or BROUGHTON ( 40/1 with Corals & SpreadX ) with summary's to be carried on the day.

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The 2nd Main race on DAY 1 is the CHAMPION HURDLE ( one of the highlights for me ) ,

Champion Hurdle

The Champion Hurdle (3:20pm) is the highlight of day one of the Cheltenham Festival and the most prestigous hurdle race run all season.

It is open to horses aged four years old and upwards, and in 2014 will carry a total prize fund of £400,000.

Recent Winners

Some of the greatest names in the sport grace the race’s role of honour including Persian War, Bula, Night Nurse, Monksfield, Sea Pigeon, See You Then and Istabraq.

Interestingly, despite it being the race all the best hurdlers are aimed at, multiple winners are not uncommon as Istabraq and Hardy Eustace have proved in recent years. This is probably partly due to the unique requirements of the race and horses with previous course form, especially previous Festival form, have fared particularly well in the event. In addition, you often need a horse that stays further than two miles, as the good record in the race of recent SunAlliance Novices Hurdle (now Neptune Novices' Hurdle) winners shows...

Course

The race is run over two miles and about half a furlong on the Old Course at Cheltenham. Invariably, a huge cheers rings out from the packed grandstands when the runners pass the enclosures for the first time. However, it is often the jumping out in the country that sorts the field out, and whilst the lucky few may still be cruising coming down the hill, the petrol tank can empty quickly once the contenders turn off the final bend and face the punishing climb to the finish.

Race Facts

1. The Champion Hurdle was inaugurated in 1927, with a value to the winner of £365. The race was abandoned in 1931 due to persistent frost, in 1943 and 1944 because of the Second World War, and in 2001 because of foot and mouth disease.

2. There have only been three sponsors of this great race since its inception. Waterford Crystal backed the contest from 1978 to 1990 while the Smurfit Group sponsored the race from 1991 to 2010. Stan James took over sponsorship in 2011 and this continues today.

3. The largest field has been 24 (1964 and 1991) and the smallest three (1932). The first five runnings of the race saw a total of only 24 runners between them. The current safety limit is 28.

4. The Stan James Champion Hurdle is a contest for multiple winners. Peter Easterby and Nicky Henderson are the race’s most successful trainers, with five wins each. Easterby’s victories came courtesy of Saucy Kit (1967), Night Nurse (1976 and 1977) and Sea Pigeon (1980 and 1981). Nicky Henderson’s five victories so far have come with See You Then (1985, 1986 and 1987), Punjabi (2009) and Binocular (2010).

5. Among jockeys, Tim Molony won the race most often with four victories, on Hatton’s Grace (1951) and Sir Ken (1952, 1953 & 1954). Tony ( A P) McCoy is the most successful current jockey with three wins aboard Make A Stand (1997), Brave Inca (2006) and Binocular (2010).

6. The most successful owners are Dorothy Paget, who won the race four times thanks to Insurance (1932, 1933), Solford (1940) and Distel (1946), and J P McManus, who owned triple winner Istabraq (1998, 1999 and 2000) and Binocular (2010).

7. Istabraq, successful in the three Champion Hurdles from 1998 to 2000, was retired after failing to become the first horse to win the race four times in 2002. The four other three-time winners are Hatton’s Grace (1949-51), Sir Ken (1952-54), Persian War (1968-70) and See You Then (1985-87).

8. The race has been won seven times by entires, but only twice by mares - Dawn Run (1984) and Flakey Dove (1994).

9. Four greys have won, the most recent being Rooster Booster in 2003. The others were Kribensis in 1990, Our Hope in 1938 and Victor Norman in 1936. Only one roan horse has won the Champion Hurdle, Anzio in 1962.

10. Istabraq’s success in 2000 in a time of 3 minutes 48.1 seconds beat the previous Champion Hurdle record time, set by Make A Stand in 1997, of 3 minutes 48.4 seconds.

11. Dessie Hughes, who trained Hardy Eustace to win in 2004 and 2005, is only the fourth person to have both ridden and trained a Stan James Champion Hurdle winner, having partnered Monksfield in 1979. The others to have achieved this double were Fred Winter, Fred Rimell and Gerry Wilson...

Horses to note for this years Renewal >>

1. HURRICANE FLY ( 3/1 )

2. THE NEW ONE ( 3/1 )
&
3. MY TENT OR YOURS ( 9/2 )

Now its my very firm belief that the winner will be one of these three and looking elsewhere is folly although i will try and highlight a couple of impossible scenarios in a short moment...
Back to this trio  , firstly we have " THE FLY " a previous winner of this race in 2013 and 2011 and looks to be as good as ever this year although is very slightly ground dependent to be seen at his best but will be tanking thru like he usually does and could easily still be shown to be the best man but unlike the last couple of runnings this year he has two absolutely top class, top drawer future super stars to beat and  the first one and my idea of the winner is THE NEW ONE ...i absolutely love this animal , a superb athlete in every sense , usually pops over the sticks like they are not there and without breaking stride, canters around like every day is a fun day out and can both quicken and battle and for me is going to rule the roost for many a year to come.....will he be good enough to beat the fly this year ??..i think so but at 3/1 each this has to be the Dutch Bet of the meeting..surely ?...
Finally we have the mischievous MY TENT OR YOURS a horse with undoubted ability and potential but does carry a quirk or two and in its early days did thriow its head around and its dummy out although ran well to win lto ( luck imo as TNO ran thru the last hurdle rather uncharacteristically ) and if either of the front two throw a shocker in then this will take advantage.

Longshots....well in all honesty i think it will take an act of god for anything else to win but if i had to pick then i would probably look at Melodic Rendezvous @ 20/1 who with ground in its favour could run a big race and it wouldnt be a complete shock....

So thats it for DAY 1...if you want further reviews for more days or different races then post a request as a comment otherwise i will see you next week...be lucky , ttfn x