THE CHAMPION HURDLE LOTTERY

IT’S that time of year again  already folks, as Cheltenham 2010 gets under way this Tuesday.

It’s quite simply the World Cup of National Hunt racing and the four-day festival will see an influx of thousands of Irish punters who descend on the festival every year. Today we’ll preview the Tuesday and Wednesday and next Thursday we’ll review the final two days.

Last year we had the best festival ever when we  completely blitzed the bookies with some cracking tips and here’s a reminder of all our winners at last year’s festival with eleven winners in total:  GO NATIVE 12/1, FORPADDYDEPLASTERER 8/1, WICHITA LINEMAN 5/1, GARDE CHAMPETRE 7/2,   COOLDINE 9/4, MASTER MINDED 2/5, NINETIETH MINUTE 14/1, SILK AFFAIR 11/1, DUNGUIB 9/2, KAUTO STAR 7/4 and who could forget old ANDYTOWN at 25/1, tipped here on form, not because of the name. 

I think we will be happy if we get half of that number this year, so without any further ado, let’s get started with Day 1 folks.

We start with the big race on   Tuesday, the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy, and what a lottery of a race this looks on paper.

Irish raiders Solwit and Go Native lead the market on 4/1 with Sean Graham bookmakers and they deserve their place at the top of the market as they definitely look the form horses.

Go Native has won both his trial races and is now on target for the WBX Triple Crown and the chance of a huge financial windfall for his connections,  while Solwhit won the Irish version of the Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January, but his place could be in doubt after he scoped dirty. Last year’s winner Punjabi hasn’t looked the same horse of last year and gets a 8/1 quote but it’s his stable companion Zaynar who we like in the race .

Last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner lost his unbeaten record over hurdles when being turned over at odds of 1/14 by the 133-rated Quwetwo at Kelso, but like the trainer, I think you should dismiss that run and look back instead on his first two runs of the season when he hacked up at Ascot and at Cheltenham. I think he will run a massive race on Tuesday.

The each-way bet in the race has to be the Alan Fleming-trained STARLUCK at 16/1 who travels sweetly in his races and just failed to beat Go Native at Kempton at Christmas. While the Noel Meade horse trades at 4/1, you can get that price for Starluck to make the top three.

He won around Kempton on the all-weather last week and seems to me primed for a big run on the opening day with Timmy Murphy taking the ride.

Back to the opening race of the 2010 festival and  we have the Supreme Novices Hurdle kicking it all off at 1.30, and might we have the banker of the meeting running in this one?

DUNQUIB is my idea of a banker and he gets a 4/5 quotation from most layers. This horse for me would have run a big race in the Champion Hurdle if his connections had entered him.

But they played it safe and this horse has finished first past the post in eight of his nine career starts, meeting  his only reversal on the track when making his racecourse debut at Punchestown where he was outpaced by On Raglan Road, racing on arguably the quickest ground he has encountered so far. So what can trouble him the most? The unbeaten GET ME OUT OF HERE from the Jonjo O’Neill stable looks the one who could ask the most questions after winning the Totesport Hurdle at Newbury and he gets a 7/1 pricing.

On to the Arkle Chase and again the Irish could dominate this race with CAPTAIN CEE BEE and Sizing Europe the big players in the field.

One-time Champion Hurdle favourite Sizing Europe has taken well to hurdles and looks a big player for Tuesday when his danger will be Captain Cee Bee, who looked to have the measure of his Arkle rival if he had not fallen at the last fence at Leopardstown when having the Grade One Bord na Mona Chase at his mercy. A great race in prospect and I  think a clear round  of jumping could seal this for Captain Cee Bee and our each-way shout is the Willie Mullins-trained SPORTS LINE who trades around 12/1, which looks a wee bit overpriced.

And so to the William Hill Trophy Chase and what a tough Handicap this is to work out; we like the look of two horses in this one. Alan King has entered the progressive BENSALEM and if he jumps well he will take some stopping after chasing home the top class Diamond Harry last time out and he is quoted as the 6/1 favourite Each-way bet is the consistent NICHE MARKET who’ll love this three-mile test and gets a generous 20/1 quote.

On to the  testing Cross Country Chase run over a gruelling three miles and seven furlongs and GARDE CHAMPETRE looks all set to follow up on last year’s win and is as low as 2/1 for the race.

Veteran MONKERHOSTIN looks the each-way alternative and gets a 16/1 price and to us that to represents a wee bit of value.

On to the last race of Day One and it’s the mares’ race and last year’s winner Quevega is the 5/4 jolly for the race and looks this year again to be the one to beat.

She hasn’t run since finishing third to Solwhit in the April and we think Voler La Vedette is the big danger after winning four on the bounce this season

She beat Champion Hurdle favourite Go Native by 13 lengths and the 5/2 on offer looks much too good to turn down.

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WHO WON LAST YEARS CHAMPION HURDLE

MONDAY NAG: The Apprentice 3.40