The Cheltenham Festival is now less than two hours away and horse racing fanatics will barely be able to control themselves with four days of explosive sporting action set to begin. 

Nick Wilby takes a look at the card on the opening day of the Festival.

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1.30 – Spinal Research Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Tips
Supreme Novice 2010 - 2m4f - Grade 1

The 2010 Cheltenham Festival starts with a bang and Irish banker DUNGUIB (10/11, Paddy Power £50) is understandably a red-hot favourite to hammer the bookies and maintain his unbeaten record over hurdles in the opener.  Philip Fenton’s seven-year-old was by far and away the best bumper performer around last season and it is impossible to forget his scintillating victory at last year’s Festival.  He had the likes of Rite Of Passage and Quel Espirit miles behind him in the Champion Bumper and he’s not looked back since, landing four races over obstacles including two emphatic performances that saw him secure back-to-back Grade One victories without coming off the bridle.  Judging on those efforts it is difficult to envisage him being defeated and he is arguably the most exciting runner of the whole week. 

 Layers will look to his sloppy round of jumping at Leopardstown last time out for hope but Dunguib barely came out of a canter there and the hustle and bustle and fast paced clip they will go in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle will surely see his jumping to better effect.  Even if his hurdling remains on the shoddy side it may not be enough for his rivals to stop him and another jaw-dropping display could be in store for Tuesday. 

That being said, he will not be for everyone at a shade odds-on and Paddy Power’s Dunguib special (follow this link for information on their remarkable offer) means that punters can back any of the opposition and not have to worry about whether or not the selection is capable of trouncing the rest of the field.

Totesport Trophy hero Get Me Out Of Here (5/1, Blue Square £10 free) will be many punters’ idea of an alternative to the favourite and the unbeaten Jonjo O’Neill-trained six-year-old looks to be a hugely talented hurdler.  He looks an awkward ride but his performance last time out was hugely impressive and he will be in good hands under Tony McCoy.  Willie Mullins’ Blackstairmountain (12/1, William Hill £60 ) is respected and Menorah (12/1, Boylesports £20 ) comes into the reckoning judged on his annihilation of the useful Bellvano at Kempton on Boxing Day.  However, it is likely that none of them will be good enough to topple an in-form Dunguib and with no major negatives hanging over the favourite he is taken to get the Festival off to a resounding start for punters.

Nick Wilby’s selection – Dunguib (10/11, Paddy Power £50)

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2.05 – Irish Independent Arkle Tips
Irish Independent Arkle 2m – Grade 1

Irish raider Captain Cee Bee (11/4, Ladbrokes £200) returns to the scene of his finest hour and the 2008 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle hero arrives at Cheltenham with the hopes of the Irish weighing heavily on his shoulders.  If Dunguib were to land the first race of the Festival then the Irish money could force Captain Cee Bee into an even shorter price and there is no doubt that he is a classy individual.  That being said, he is not the best jumper in the field by any stretch of the imagination and Tony McCoy will have to be at his finest to get the horse round without mistakes.  People will argue that he would have beaten SIZING EUROPE (nb) (5/1, Ladbrokes £200) in a Grade One at Leopardstown on Boxing Day but whether he would or wouldn’t is neither here nor there and the result told the story – Captain Cee Bee didn’t complete the race and Sizing Europe did, and won.

Unbeaten over fences, Sizing Europe heads to Cheltenham with pundits and punters seemingly unwilling to forgive him his defeat in the Champion Hurdle two years ago and it is alarming to see so many people happily drawing a line through his chances next week.  People were happy to come to the conclusion that it was the hill that defeated Henry De Bromhead’s superstar that day and he quickly developed a reputation for being a fragile underachiever.

However, the same people that labelled him with the tag must have let his victory in the 2007 Greatwood Hurdle escape their mind.  Racing under a big weight on soft ground at Cheltenham, Sizing Europe flew up the hill doing his best work late on in a bloodless victory over quality opposition and punters that dismiss the horse’s chances based on his delicateness are advised to watch the replay of that race.

His break from the track will serve him well and his ability to quicken and relentless engine were on show in an impressive racecourse gallop last week.  It is easy to see why his trainer is extremely bullish and he too believes that Cheltenham will suit Sizing Europe much better than Leopardstown. He is an extremely classy horse and his price already makes him a very attractive each-way betting proposition.

The home challenge is led by Henrietta Knight’s Somersby (4/1, Ladbrokes £200) who was an impressive winner of the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase last year.  He is a highly regarded sort and Tony McCoy has made no secret about the fact he finds it hard to split him from Captain Cee Bee.  However, he is far from the finished article and it is debatable how his form stacks up against rivals of this quality, with the likes of Sports Line (8/1, Boylesports £20) and Riverside Theatre (15/2, Paddy Power £50) both set to line up in opposition.

Nick Wilby's selection - Sizing Europe (5/1, Ladbrokes £200)

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2.40 – William Hill Trophy Chase Tips
William Hill Trophy 3m1/2f – Handicap Chase

A race that has gone the way of a novice chaser three times in the last six years and it makes sense to stick with them again this season.  The Package (6/1, Ladbrokes, £200) ticks the right boxes for trainer David Pipe and he has been heavily backed in the build up to the Festival.  He looks like he has been aimed at this race for some time and his handicap mark has been well protected by a stable that won the race in 2008.

He is sure to give a good account of himself but a chance is taken with Alan King’s lightly raced seven-year-old BENSALEM (11/2, Paddy Power, £50) who brings some serious form to the table.  After landing three from four races over hurdles, the selection has performed with great credit in defeat on all of his starts over fences and has twice looked like a huge threat to top class novice Diamond Harry.  After looking all over the RSA Chase contender before falling at Haydock, Bensalem got to within two lengths of Nick Williams’ star at Newbury, pulling well clear of the useful Inchidaly Rock.  That was another impressive performance from King’s horse and it is not hard to see why the trainer had this race in mind ever since.  He has been treated more than fairly by the handicapper and connections are delighted with the mark he has slipped into the race on.  Versatile when it comes to the ground, he will have to jump better than he has done on his last two starts but he is an improving sort and Wichita Lineman clattered every fence before winning this race last year.  He remains a hugely talented chaser facing a number of exposed handicappers.

Theatrical Moment (12/1, Bet365, £200) deserves a mention and is finally beginning to live up to his hype while The Tother One (14/,1 Betfred, £100) is not dismissed lightly, but the biggest danger could come in the shape of Ogee (14/1, Ladbrokes, £200) who also looks well treated based on his smart hurdle form.  Three from four over fences, he is easily forgiven his defeat at the hands of Long Run and Tazbar in the Feltham at Kempton. 

Nick Wilby's selection - Bensalem (11/2, Paddy Power £50)

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3.20 – Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle Tips
Champions Hurdle 2m – Grade 1

One of the highlights of the week undoubtedly comes on the first day and punters will need no reminding that this year’s Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle looks set to be an absolute thriller.  Bonus-hunting Irish raider Go Native (7/2, William Hill £60) heads the betting and last year’s leading novice arrives at jumping HQ in the form of his life.  His supporters will be brimming with confidence and his impressive turn of foot puts him high on the list, however the form of his victory in the Christmas Hurdle does not look anything special and he is taken on with KHYBER KIM (nap) (8/1, Paddy Power £50), Nigel Twiston-Davies’ quirky but talented International Hurdle winner.

A chequered and frustrating career seems to have fallen into place this year and two runs and two victories at Cheltenham puts him right in the mix.  Having accounted for some of this season’s leading contenders at the end of last year, it is clear that the horse thoroughly enjoys Cheltenham’s surging circuit and the course’s uphill finish is evidently not a problem.  He is currently in danger of becoming the forgotten horse of the race and it is easy to forget that he was actually a better horse on the flat than most of his Champion Hurdle opposition, hitting an overall rating of 106.  His connections are noticeably bullish about his chances and as a horse that goes best fresh, he has been kept off the course since his emphatic victory in the International Hurdle.  He only needs to improve a little to win again and he is a confident selection.

Solwhit (6/1, Bet365 £200) and Binocular (8/1, Ladbrokes £200) take their chances after two weeks of will he or won’t he and it makes much more sense to side with the former who would have been a warm favourite for the race had he not suffered a setback last week.  Binocular looks a shadow of the horse that finished third in this last year and Celestial Halo (10/1, Ladbrokes £200) and stablemate Punjabi (7/1, Blue Square £10) should confirm their 2009 Champion Hurdle superiority over Nicky Henderson’s charge.

Nick Wilby's selection - Khyber Kim (8/1, Paddy Power £50)

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4.00 – Cross Country Chase Tips
Cross County Chase 3m7f – Handicap Chase

The Cross Country Chase is a race that has been dominated by owner/trainer combination JP McManus and Edna Bolger and the duo are responsible for four of the first five winners of the race.  2008 and 2009 winner of the showpiece Garde Champetre (9/4, Paddy Power £50 ) is likely to start a warm favourite and he has been allotted top weight in the race for a reason.  The winner of five from seven starts over course and distance  he is 11lbs higher than when beating stablemate and re-opposing veteran L’Ami (10/3, Paddy Power, £50) and he is certain to make a bold bid for the hat-trick.  His recent spin over hurdles will have him spot on and it is hard to crab the form of a horse that has such good form in a race of this nature at his favourite racecourse.

L’Ami is 4lbs better off than when the duo clashed last year and he will be supported to turn the tables with the champion, however it seems that weight and distance handicapping has less impact over cross-country courses and it probably makes more sense to stick with the favourite.

Sizing Australia (5/1, Victor Chandler £100) is unexposed and likely to put up a big challenge to Edna Bolger’s domination in the race but a chance is taken on the classy MONKERHOSTIN (16/1, Sky Bet £10) who proved he retains all of his ability when beating Exmoor Ranger in a handicap at Sandown in February.  He is a very interesting addition to the cross country division and is a serious each-way alternative to the favourite.  His trainer is bullish about the chances of the former Gold Cup challenger and he is expected to relish the decent ground and long trip.

Nick Wilby's selection - Monkerhostin (16/1, Sky Bet £10)

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4.40 – David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle Tips
Mares Hurdle 2m4f - Grade 2

The last race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle looks like being a match-up between last year’s winner QUEVEGA (2/1, Ladbrokes £200) and Go Native-conquering mare Voler La Vedette (7/4, Paddy Power £50). 

Quevega has not been seen since the Prix La Barkahere in May but it is hard to forget her bloodless victory in this twelve months ago and her fourteen length victory over United lives long in the memory.  Trainer Willie Mullins assures her supporters that she is in fine form despite her lack of run and she is a mare that has always gone well fresh.

Voler La Vedette arrives at Cheltenham in search of a five-timer and it has to argue that she looked anything other than awesome when slamming Champion Hurdle favourite Go Native at Down Royal in November.  That was an impressive performance but Noel Meade is adamant that his multiple Grade One-winning superstar was far from race fit in November and it is difficult to picture the mare beating a fully wound up Go Native.  The form shouldn’t be taken too seriously and it may be that Quevega has too much in the locker for Colm Murphy’s six-year-old.

Former French raider Sway (14/1, Bet365 £200) may prove to be best of the rest and she remains an exciting proposition despite her fall when travelling with promise in a Grade Two at Fontwell last time out.

Nick Wilby's selection - Quevega (2/1, Ladbrokes £200)

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