Cheltenham day one tips: Picks from all seven races
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The Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday when the highlight of the opening day is the Champion Hurdle as Constitution Hill looks to cement his superstar status.
PA Media’s Nick Robson has Cheltenham Day 1 tips from all seven races and if you’re looking for extra content click on the links for a more in-depth look at the Champion Hurdle, Paul Townend’s blog, our handicap tips, Gold Cup preview, the key statistics, the Prestbury Cup and the leading owners.
In the opener a lot depends on which Facile Vega shows up.
He has only ever lost once but that was last time out and it was a major blowout as he was beaten 20 lengths by stablemate Il Etait Temps.
Trainer Willie Mullins claimed it was down to an ill-judged Paul Townend ride, haring off with High Definition, but the latter’s jockey JJ Slevin subsequently said they did not go that quick.
Mullins then revealed Facile Vega was lame afterwards, so it will be some training performance to get him back.
In any case, 5/1 shot Il Etait Temps is improving with each run and the likely helter skelter nature of this race will suit him down to the ground.
Trainer Nicky Henderson has made no secret that he thinks Tuesday will be his best day and 13/8 co-favourite Jonbon is taken to confirm his superiority over El Fabiolo in the Arkle.
The two met over hurdles at Aintree last season, with Henderson’s runner just coming out on top.
The general consensus seemed to be that because it was only El Fabiolo’s second run for Mullins he had overachieved and would improve past Douvan’s full-brother.
But do not forget, Jonbon was running just three weeks after meeting with the only defeat of his career behind Constitution Hill in the Supreme, when he undoubtedly had a hard race.
Plenty will crab his most recent run at Warwick, but Henderson has come out and said he was nowhere near 100 per cent fit, and also, Aidan Coleman was just caught on the hop by Harry Skelton on Calico.
With Dysart Dynamo guaranteed to go off quickly, Coleman will be able to ride a proper race and he is expected to bound up the famous hill.
The Ultima Handicap Chase usually goes to the home team and while Into Overdrive‘s preparation has not been perfect, he is just the type of improving chaser you need for this race and can win at 7/1.
Mark Walford’s stable star has progressed rapidly this season, from winning at the Charlie Hall meeting off just 132 to holding off Gold Cup contender Sounds Russian in the Rowland Meyrick.
The highly progressive Into Overdrive is a game winner of the £50,000 @WilliamHill Rowland Meyrick for @mwalfordracing & Jamie Hamilton in a thrilling contest at @WetherbyRaces 🏇 pic.twitter.com/XyhbXADrBm
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 26, 2022
In between he just found last year’s Brown Advisory winner L’Homme Presse too strong in the Rehearsal Chase but certainly lost little in defeat.
Sounds Russian, who admittedly was giving Into Overdrive 15lb, franked the form by going close in the Cotswold Chase and appears set to take his chance in the blue riband later in the week.
Walford did want to run in the Sky Bet Chase but a minor setback prevented him from doing so and that may have been a blessing in disguise.
History will surely be made at Cheltenham when 1/3 favourite Constitution Hill runs in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
He may well go and win by the widest-ever margin, but while that is still up for debate, what is not is that he will go off the shortest-priced favourite in the first-day highlight for many, many years.
It is quite incredible to think he has only had five runs in his life, yet we are already talking about him being superstar material and that is because four of them have been at Grade One level and he has won them by an aggregate of 77 lengths.
He really could do for the National Hunt game what Frankel did for the Flat, and in Henderson he is with the perfect man to make the crossover into the mainstream.
It seems futile coming up with the case against him and while State Man, in any normal year, would be a worthy favourite, he is up against potentially the best horse for generations.
Arguably the most wide-open race of the day is the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, in which two previous Champion Hurdle winners take on defending champion Marie’s Rock.
Whether Honeysuckle or Epatante should have the technically easier option is a moot point for another day but they certainly add more interest.
Throw in 6/1 Brandy Love, Love Envoi, Echoes In Rain and Theatre Glory and you have a real dust up.
Plenty were disappointed when Brandy Love was beaten on her seasonal return but strictly on the figures she ran a career best and it is hard to get away from how easily she beat Love Envoi last season, so she may well represent the value.
Byker, the 6/1 second favourite, is an interesting contender for Charles Byrnes in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
He finished third to Sir Allen at Naas in a race that has an excellent record of producing the Boodles winner with Band Of Outlaws, Aramax and Brazil all successful in both.
While Sir Allen obviously holds claims, he was getting 7lb off Byker yet will be giving him 3lb on this occasion and there was less than two lengths between them. That should be enough to see him turn the tables.
With his stamina proven having gone close in the Irish National, evens favourite Gaillard Du Mesnil looks almost unopposable in the Wellchild National Hunt Challenge Cup that rounds off the action on day one.
Cheltenham Day 1 tips:
1.30 Il Etait Temps
2.10 Jonbon
2.50 Into Overdrive
3.30 CONSTITUTION HILL (NAP)
4.10 Brandy Love
4.50 Byker
5.30 Gaillard Du Mesnil
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All odds and market correct at date of publication
