Cheltenham Festival 2014 - Champion Hurdle

3.20 Cheltenham Festival (Day 1, Race 4)

Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1) (Class 1)  (4YO plus)
Winner £238,051 

Already Advised: Ante Post: 1 pt each/way The New One (8/1 general) & My Tent or Yours, 2014 Champion Hurdle, (10/1 Hills, Wednesday 20^th March)

Captain Cee Bee: Been a terrific servant and can’t be as many at his age that still have the talent he shows but here as a pacemaker and hard to see him being anything but swallowed up.

Grumeti: Still retains a lot of ability but when it counts, been well beaten behind My Tent or Yours twice this season and Melodic Rendezvous latest; Doesn’t look to be upto making the grade here.

Hurricane Fly: Now a 10 year old but already a modern legend, with 20 Grade 1’s to his name, and proved himself to be still ahead of the Irish contingent when he beat Our Conor again in tenacious style despite last flight mistake, rallying to get better off the 5yo and Jezki yet again, the field being closer together than at Christmas when he romped home over the both of them; Only defeat in recent series in 2012 renewal of this when when flat out pace on good ground didn’t seem to help his cause but no reason to think he can’t show best on this course as some have suggested; Today is likely to bring sustained all out gallop and, on this course, improvement from Irish pair as well as stiff English challenge, but sets the standard still and the one to beat.

Jezki: Couldn’t quite get settled in 2013 Supreme but one of the best novices around as he showed at Leopardstown and Punchestown either side of that; Beat fairly substandard opposition first twice this season but well held by Hurricane both times since; This C&D and a good gallop likely to see best in him and unbeaten in four starts for Barry Gergaghty so not dismissed all he’s behind My Tent or Yours and the New One on Supreme form as well.

Meldodic Rendezvous: Extremely proficient and commendable novice and all age hurdler, trating muscle when flat behind My Tent or Yours at Newcastle but a winner of every other race he’s run in this season; Can’t help but think that way he surged clear from Ptit Zig at Haydock gave him aspirations at being of this class but all out to scrape home against Zarkandar latest and ground hasn’t come right for him (win on good to soft but wants it much more testing).

My Tent of Yours: Might have just about the best engine of anything in this race and destruction of Betfair Hurdle field last year was followed by a titanic battle with Champagne Fever in which he came clear from Jezki over the last, and unbeaten since, having dismissed Fighting Fifth opponents easily and then battled hard, taking advantage of last flight blunder by The New One to snatch Christmas Hurdle; General thinking is that form will be reversed today but likely people have read too much into Supreme last year when tactical masterclass from Ruby Walsh also played it’s part and a major contender here.

Our Conor: One of the most astonishing performances seen her in a long time when he destroyed Triumph field to win by 15 lengths last year and ran with credit twice since, not at physical peak when third behind Jezki and Hurricane at Christmas but since running the reigning champion very close indeed at Leopardstown latest; Feeling he can once again build on that and comes right into the mix here.

Ptit Zig: Quality 4 year old last year, although nothing at the level of what Our Conor achieved (beaten 7 lengths by Diakali at the end of the season) and no match for Medolic Rendezvous when they met, albeit giving him 4lbs; Another who desperately needed it softer than ground has turned.

The New One: Outstanding winner of Neptune last year, albeit winning a race run to suit a 2 miler and facing off against future chasers, and also when second to Zarkandar at Aintree since; Proven himself to be a crack 2 miler with pair of easy wins to start season and could well have won Christmas Hurdle had he not blundered away at the last; Return to Cheltenham should make that margin with My Tent or Yours even tighter and while no run since a negative, can go close here.

VERDICT: The race of the festival and the season if all turn up to form and run to their true potential. Anyone of 4 could be given a serious winning chance with Jezki also in contention but there seems to be no reason to move away from the ante-post pairing we have of THE NEW ONE and MY TENT OR YOURS, who both have fine chances. With such prices in the book about them, Hurricane Fly is the on the day choice for a cover bet, over Our Conor, but we shall let the ante post stake we have ride.