3:20 Cheltenham (10th March) STAN JAMES CHAMPION HURDLE CHALLENGE TROPHY GRADE 1 (CLASS 1) (4yo+)

The highlight on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival 2015. All eyes will be on this Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race over 2m 110y on good to soft ground. 

The inaugural winner came in 1927 with Blaris trained by Bill Payne, ridden by George Duller in the racing silks of owner Mrs H. Hollins. 

A number of horses have won this race three times including: Hatton's Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You Then & Istabraq. 

The leading jockey with four wins (1951 - 1954) is Tim Molony. 

Leading trainers with five winner apiece are Peter Easterby & Nicky Henderson. 

The owner with most victories, and someone who could be a force this year, J P McManus has five successes with class horses Istabraq, Binocular, Jezki. 

This year's renewal sees eight class geldings including winners 2014 (Jezki), 2011 & 2013 (Hurricane Fly). 

If the market is anything to go by this looks a four-horse race: 

Faugheen is a bay gelding sired by Germany out of Miss Pickering, trained by Willie Mullins for owner Mrs S Ricci. This seven-year-old bay gelding has been a sensation, unbeaten in eight races, after winning a point-to-point over three miles in the hands of  R P Quinlan. He has been favourite for all victories, the majority of time ridden by Ruby Walsh. In the last four races his official rating has risen from 152 - 169. Priced at 11/10f, punters will be hoping this serial winner over course and distance can raise a cheer at this highest grade. 

Nigel Twiston-Davies' The New One may be seven-year-olds but this son of King's Theatre has raced fifteen times over hurdles with eleven victories and never out of the frame. He's been a consistent winner when racing off an official rating of 167. A regular racing at Cheltenham with eight starts with five successes. The New One is no stranger to this contest after finishing third last year behind Jezki with Hurricane Fly fourth. After being badly hampered early in the contest he ran on well in the closing stages. There's little doubt if not suffering that interference he would have gone very close. Priced 4/1 with leading bookmakers.

Another old adversary Hurricane Fly and twice-winner of this Grade 1 hurdle. He won in 2011 & 2013 respectively. This eleven-year-old Irish-bred gelding finished 4th behind Jezki last year which may indicate that age is catching up with this old warrior. Only two horses have won this race at his age of eleven: Hatton's Grace (1951), Sea Pigeon (1981). Willie Mullins' charge has been exceptional over hurdles with twenty-four victories from twenty-nine starts. Only once out of the first three, when fourth in last years contest. Twenty-one of his wins have come at Grade 1 class. From four starts in the Champion Hurdle this star has won twice, a third and fourth. With a highest official rating of 175 it would be fair to say he has never run a poor race. With Ruby Walsh taking the ride on stablemate Faugheen you have to consider connections feel the Hurricane may need to defy the stats, which only the greatest individuals have surpassed. At 10/1 he may sneak a place. 

Jezki has raced at the highest level. This bay gelding won last year's Champion Hurdle 2014 at odds of 9/1. By all accounts his last three starts have been disappointing - suffering multiple losses against Hurricane Fly. This seven-year-old hasn't helped himself when making costly mistakes and connections will be hoping this 5/1 shot jumps for fun on the big day.      

Conclusion: A fascinating Champion Hurdle. With Hurricane Fly and Jezki setting the standard being previous winners this will be a true test. By all accounts there may not be a great deal between Jezki, The New One & Hurricane Fly. Each have their strength and weakness. Jezki has fluffed his lines in the build-up suffering multiple defeats against Hurricane Fly which brings concern. I wonder if Jezki's win was as much to do with others making mistakes. Hurricane Fly was held in last year's renewal. However, this old timer has beaten Mrs John Harrington's charge on his last three starts. The New One will not be far away if he puts in a clear round. The interesting contender is Faugheen. Unbeaten. That word in itself favours many punters. It pays to appreciate Willie Mullins' star will need to shine at this level to win. It's telling Ruby Walsh takes the ride over warhorse Hurricane Fly. 

Verdict:

Faugheen (win bet) 11/10
Hurricane Fly (each-way) 10/1

Cheltenham 2015 Top Race Previews

Of all of the fixtures featuring in 2015's racing calendar, there are few as well-anticipated or more enjoyed than the Cheltenham Festival, taking place between March the 10th and 13th at Cheltenham Racecourse. As with any big meeting, wagering will be top of the agenda for many excited attendees; last year some £600,000,000 of bets were taken in by bookmakers. The Festival certainly has a great number of top class races under it's belt, so what are they? Which horses have previous revelled in the events' previous glories?

Tuesday 10th

The race kicking off the festival is the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, a frantic two mile run featuring a truly big field, all engaging in a satisfying mix of hurdling and chasing that spectators find irresistible! Last year, five year-old Vautour, trained by W Mullins and jockeyed by R Walsh, came out on top of the Grade 1 race, although Irish banker Douvan could assume the title this March.

Fans wanting to bet on the biggest race of Tuesday will be looking forward to the Champion Hurdle, however. Deciding the champion of the hurdling division over a two mile slog, Jezki (trained by J Harrington and ridden by B Geraghty) was 2014's winner, and may yet rise back up to first place this year.

Wednesday 11th

Wednesday kicks off with the National Hunt Steeple Chase, a demanding novice horse and amateur jockey race that can truly put the strain on the contenders. With the prospect of injury an ever-present fear, punters should make sure they keep track of all the latest news via Coral's sports app; any slip-ups and one's picks could be in need for drastic last-minute alterations! Last year 9 year-old Midnight Prayer beat the odds and came out on top.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the top fixture of Wednesday though, a top class race that dictates who is the best chaser in the two mile division. Last year Sire De Grugy won a tense race, ridden excellently by J Moore.

Thursday 12th

Fans of chases will enjoy Thursday's Ryanair Chase, a two mile, five furlong race for five year old horses and older that are always the more lofty equines in the competition! Last year Dynaste, jockeyed by J Tizzard and traned by D Pipe, came first in the Grade 1 race, although this year's winner may well be a newcomer.

Feature event for Thursday is the Ladbrokes World Hurdle; three miles long, last year's winner was More Of That, ridden by B Geraghty, in what was an electrifying race! This year's picks include Zarkandar and Saphir Du Rheu, but it's likely to be a close one!

Friday 13th

Finally, the ultimate day of the festival sees the County Hurdle, one of the most difficult handicaps to solve at the festival. Quick, exciting and nail-biting in equal measure, last year's race saw Tiger Roll come first place.

Then it's the big one; the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Last year saw Lord Windermere (D Russel and J Culloty) come first at this most important event, although this year Holywell, Bobs Worth and Many Clouds are all strong contenders- this is going to be an excellent watch!

Counting down to Cheltenham 2015 showcase races

Let’s face it, every Cheltenham Festival is a thrill a minute with the best jumps horses in the business bidding to write themselves a place in the history books at the home of National Hunt racing, and this season’s renewal, scheduled between March 10 – 13, will certainly be no exception, writes Elliot Slater.

One certainty as we close in on ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’, is that champion Irish jumps trainer Willie Mullins will head to Cheltenham with as strong a hand as ever, having a number of outstanding horses in his care at present, many of them such as Vautour, Annie Power, and Champagne Fever (to name but a few), owned by Rich and Susanna Ricci, whose pink and pale green silks have become an almost ever-present in the winners enclosure in Ireland, and have also been sighted a time or two in Britain as well this season.

Faugheen pictured] is the horse the Ricci’s hope will carry their colours into the hallowed winners circle at Cheltenham on March 10 in the Champion Hurdle, a race for which the unbeaten French-bred gelding is currently ante-post favourite having never before tasted defeat in a career spanning seven races under rules. Expected by most pundits offering insight and opinion to make it eight from eight when he bids for the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day at Kempton Park, anything other than a convincing win will be a disappointment for a horse who genuinely appears to have real star quality.

He certainly looked the part when beating Ballyalton in the Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle at last year’s Festival before going on to prove even more impressive when slamming Valseur Lido by no less than 12 lengths at the Punchestown Festival six weeks later, appearing to be better suited by the minimum trip of two miles than he had by the longer trip at Cheltenham.

If you’re looking for a horse to possibly bring to an end Faugheen’s unbeaten run then the outstanding candidate so far this season is the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained The New One. He won all three of his races before the Christmas break in fine style, looking particularly smart when showing a visible change of gear to beat the highly regarded Vaniteux in the Grade 2 StanJames.com International Hurdle at Cheltenham’s December fixture, a race he took on in preference to going head-to-head at this stage with Faugheen at Kempton.

Twiston-Davies is very much of the opinion that had his charge not been badly hampered at an early stage of last season’s Champion Hurdle he might very well have beaten eventual winner Jezki. As it was, the gelded son of King’s Theatre still ran a cracker in finishing strongly to take third place, beaten less than three lengths by Jessica Harrington’s surprise winner. And having won the big race last term and then proven that no fluke by following up at the Punchestown Festival in beating former dual champion Hurricane Fly, Jezki is certainly not out of the reckoning either, with connections training him specifically for a repeat bid for the hurdles crown. We know he handles the track well, appreciates the normally decent ground, and has proved himself a horse capable of delivering the big performance on the right occasion.

There’s no doubt about it; the 2015 Champion Hurdle could well turn out to be one of the best for some years if all the principals make it to the starting line.

Glossing over the Queen Mother Champion Chase (for no other reason than the two ante-post favourites, Sprinter Sacre and Sire de Grugy have not been seen so far this season and both are under injury clouds), and leaving aside the World Hurdle, which at this stage looks wide open with last season’s hero More of That having run poorly first time out this campaign while most of the other contenders have been taking it in turns to beat each other, let’s concentrate on the other feature event of Cheltenham 2015 which is, of course, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Always a tremendous race and rarely providing anything less than a thrilling finish for any number of reasons, it would be fair to say that this season’s renewal is going to have to go some to better the breathtaking finish last term when the relatively unconsidered Jim Culloty-trained outsider Lord Windermere (20/1) came from a seemingly impossible position at the third last to storm up the hill and get the better of a titanic tussle with On His own to score by a nose under a brilliant ride from Davy Russell.

The enigmatic The Giant Bolster was back in third, the King George VI Chase winner Silviniaco Conti was fourth, and the reigning champion Bobs Worth finished fifth in a race that produced a hard-to-predict result, but that showcased everything that is great about National Hunt racing.

Lord Windermere is now a winner at each of that last two Cheltenham Festivals having 12 months earlier sprung another surprise when landing the Grade 1 RSA Chase. The old adage ‘horses for courses’ certainly rings true with this very talented gelding who is at his best on spring ground when putting his undoubted stamina to good use on the steep climb from the home turn at Cheltenham. An excellent third on his seasonal return at Punchestown in December in the Grade 1 John Durkan Chase over an inadequate trip, Lord Windermere is still a horse that many of the jumps public don’t seem to have taken as seriously as they should and he remains an attractive each-way betting prospect, at the very least, to run a big race back at the scene of his two greatest triumphs.

Silviniaco Conti, beaten less than two lengths into a close fourth in that great race last March, has since proven himself to be a leading contender to land the blue riband event this time around. He bounced back from his defeat to win nicely at Aintree a few weeks later and was clearly short of peak fitness when beaten on his seasonal return at Wetherby. You’d be best judging champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ charge on what he subsequently did at Haydock when he destroyed a high-class field in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase – winning the race for a second time – eventually coming home two lengths clear of the talented Menorah, who has been in terrific form this season for Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson.

Nicholls knows exactly what it takes to win the Gold Cup having done the business twice with See More Business, as well as more recent high-profile successes with the superb Kauto Star and the hardly less inspiring Denman, two of the best three-mile chasers of the modern era. The Ditcheat handler has been very bullish about Silviniaco Conti being good enough for this season’s Gold Cup and he will be trained to be at his very peak on the big day, regardless of anything else he does prior to the main event.

Bobs Worth may well be back for another crack at the title, and Willie Mullins is mulling a bid for the race with the possibly doubtful stayer Champagne Fever – likely to be better suited by the shorter Grade 1 Ryanair Chase, in my opinion – while Jonjo O’Neill’s Holywell is no forlorn hope either in a race that will surely prove well worth the wait.