APART from the Champion Hurdle

which race at the Festival are you most looking forward to and why?

I'll be honest, my initial thoughts having scanned through the ante-post lists of most of the races, is that the Festival by and large probably lacks in other hugely anticipated races. I'm possibly being slightly cynical, I sometimes am (!), but obviously whilst there's loads of top class jumps racing throughout the week I'm struggling to find one anywhere remotely near the Champion Hurdle in terms of anticipation. And even ignoring that race and looking at the rest on offer it doesn't scream vintage race after vintage race.

The other championship races look akin to match races at best, and that's assuming the top two in each market turn up! There's worryingly a shortage of new faces amongst the line ups too. The novice chase events are so up in the air we don't really know what will be in each race and ditto the novice hurdle events. However it's probably the novice events that hold more interest to me, due to the unknown factor inherent within these events. I think the Supreme could be a spectacle and a half and obviously being the curtain raiser this event does garner more than it's fair share of intrigue mixed with anticipation.

When it all boils down to it though part of me just wonders this: does this year's Cheltenham Festival begin at 3.20pm on the Tuesday and finish at 3.30pm? On the face of it appears to have a thin back up cast.

 

Is the ‘Champion Hurdle’ really ‘all that’?!? In Ireland the supposed star and great novices from last term (Jezki and Our Connor) haven’t been able to land a blow against Hurricane Fly who as a 10YO is hardly going to be improving. And it could be argued quite convincingly that, given his form in beating Captain Cee Bee and Marito, he has regressed quite a bit. Meanwhile, this side of the water The New One and My Tent or Yours have holes in their form if you examine the formlines that tie in with the likes of Jumps Road and Cockney Sparrow. I don’t think it’s a bad race, far from it, and if someone held a gun to my head I’d come down on the side of Mr Henderson’s beast but I just don’t think the 2014 Champion is the huge epic that certain parts of the media keep trying to tell us it is.

Beefy, I do agree that several of the races at the Festival, right now, appear far from being Classics. Although, of course, that could change as participants still have 5 weeks+ to launch a bid for possible stardom and certain horses could look totally defferent propositions by ‘tapes up’. But the novice chases/hurdles have been, in the main, destroyed, from an ante-post perspective, by the Racecourse Executives decision to now have 3 heats in each category. Who goes where??? Who knows???

But the races that I’m looking forward to the most??? The ‘Champion Chase’ which will hopefully see Mr Henderson’s ‘Black Aeroplane’ restored to full health and glory, the ‘Pertemps Final’ as I get to trot out my ‘more plots than an Agatha Christie novel’ line over and over and over and over again and the ‘Grand Annual’ as I think there is a Plot with a capital ‘P’ set to be unleashed. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more...

 

I think the Champion Hurdle is all that. The old champ up against a new crop of emerging talents will be some spectacle I reckon. Agree that World Hurdle and Champion Chase don't look very competitive however there is still some interest with a little doubt over Sprinter which will only be dispelled on race day and another old boy in Big Bucks trying to roll back the years. The one I'm most looking forward to (other than the Champion Hurdle) is the Gold cup renewal. I can't be having this as a match race at all. I reckon Bobs Worth is a very vulnerable favourite. This little fella has the heart of a lion but he was the first of the bridle in the Lexus and got home on sheer guts alone. I wouldn't be taking 2/1 about him any time soon. Up against him you have Silvianaco Conti who'll get home no problem if he jumps round. Then there's Cue Card of whom some say he'll be finished before he gets to the hill for the final time. I'm not so sure about that. First Lieutenant who hopefully will be entered in the right race this year. Great Cheltenham record who appreciates better ground. Sir Des Champ, Al Ferof neither of whom are mugs. I also will add my little outsider (Lyreen Legend) who will be a lot shorter in the betting after this Saturday's running of the Irish Hennessy. He's also entered in the Ryannair but I can't believe he'll be aimed at that one. Finally I'd add Harry Topper into the equation too. Conceded weight all round in the Argento, jumped like a pig and still stormed up the hill for a never nearer third. Definitely not a match race this one.

 

I pray the Champ Hurdle is as good as we hope.

Apart from that I'm excited about the Neptune and to a lesser extent, the Supreme. Handicaps don't interest me. I suppose Sprinters health issue has added a dimension to the Queen Mother and spiced it up a tad.

 

Aslong as all partys stay safe and sound and turn up to the big day- I cant see it not being as good as we hope. I can picture it now coming round the final bend all in line! I cant FECKING wait!!!!!

 

Will be good to see if Quevega is still the Queen aswell from reports she is ahead of schedule which can be a bad thing! But I doubt it- she will be my banker for the festival

 

Big Bucks and the World Hurdle. For the simple reason that it will be fascinating to see if the great horse can do it again.

Also the Gold Cup for me is an intriguiing contest... Bobs Worth and Silviniaco Conti against a number of horses who are considered questionable stayers over 3 miles 2 furlongs.