Key events
Here’s today’s schedule of races.
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13:30 – Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, 2m 1/2f
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14:10 – My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase, 2m
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14:50 – Ultima Handicap Chase, 3m 1f
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15:30 – Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy, 2m 1/2f
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16:10 – Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, 2m 4f
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16:50 – Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, 2m 1/2f
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17:30 – Maureen Mullins National Hunt Chase (Novices’ Chase, amateur jockeys), 3m 6f
A reminder of the first day last year, maybe some pointers to this year in there.
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Marine Nationale, Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
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El Fabiolo, Sporting Life Arkle
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Corach Rambler, Ultima Handicap Chase
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Constitution Hill, Unibet Champion Hurdle
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Honeysuckle, Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
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Jazzy Matty, Boodles Juvenile Hurdle
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Gaillard Du Mesnil, Wellchild National Hunt Chase
Breakfast is probably a no-go. For lunch, I try to have a sandwich then have something like a pasta-based dinner, nothing too heavy. I try to drink plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks. Chocolate and fizzy drinks are my guilty pleasures. It’s difficult not to, but I try not to snack as it doesn’t suit me at all.
Sadly, the weather may not have helped the chances of a late show-up at the festival. Today, at least. The first year back after Covid was bedlam, the second far emptier. Usually go Champion Chase day, this year going to the Gold Cup, but you have to wonder whether Cheltenham’s dominance of the rest of the UK scene – Ireland has its Dublin Festival and also Punchestown – has eventually hurt the blue-riband event itself.
Of course, the post-Covid years have not been easy on the pocket, either, where in March 2022 there was a lot of saved-up cash and pent-up frustration to exert. There may, though as favs are usually beloved at Prestbury Park, be something of a Max Verstappen/Manchester City effect going on with the Mullins team.
More on that heavy ground. Bottomless?
John Brewin
John Brewin here, rather glad I am not at HQ today. The weather looks, well, unpromising. And could have a big say in what happens today.
Here’s Greg’s betting guide for the first day.
Preamble
Greg Wood
Good morning from Cheltenham, where a damp and soggy start to the opening day of the Festival meeting has seen the going on the Old course deteriorate to soft, heavy in places and left Wednesday’s Cross-Country Chase hanging in the balance.
There was 6mm of rain overnight, significantly more than the 2mm-4mm that had been forecast, and it is still raining, with another 4mm-6mm expected in all today before the conditions (hopefully) start to brighten up around lunchtime. The Cross Country course, meanwhile, will be inspected at 6am GMT tomorrow, and if the race cannot be staged in its usual slot, the track will look into shifting it to Friday’s Gold Cup card.
Any mention of heavy in the going description on day one is a distinct rarity these days – it’s more common for the track to be putting water on in the fortnight before to ensure that it’s on the soft side of good. And it could make for a much more interesting race for the Champion Hurdle at 3.30pm, since it will play to the strengths of the stayers, like Irish Point, and potentially blunt the speed of the odds-on favourite, State Man.
State Man is just one among a whole host of market leaders from Willie Mullins’s stable on the opening card, and he will hope to make a significant dent in the half-dozen wins he needs to be the first trainer with 100 at the Festival. Tullyhill and Mystical Power – a son of the Champion Hurdle winner, Annie Power – are likely to set off as first- and second-favourites for the opening Supreme Novice Hurdle, and he also has three of the top four in the Arkle betting and another odds-on shot, Lossiemouth, in the Mares’ Hurdle.
That said, there are live runners from other yards in most of the races and quite a few of them appealed when I put my final selections together yesterday. That, of course, may or may not be good news for the man from County Carlow.
As ever, every market move, millimetre of rain and point of interest will be dissected here on the blog as it happens, today and every day at racing’s showpiece event, so let’s take a deep breath and get on with the giddy ride!
