Next week the "Greatest Show on Turf"
kicks off as the Cheltenham Festival captivates the attention of
racing and other sports fans on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The four day National Hunt extravaganza is
without parallel and finding winners is always a tough task.
Here though, for what they are worth, are my main selections on
each of the four days.
The highlight on March 16th, day one of
the festival, is the Champion Hurdle. For ages now I have been
convinced that last year's winner Punjabi has been foolishly
overlooked. He is a horse who saves his best for the undulating
left-handed track and he has already proved he has what it takes
to win again. At 10/1 he looks tremendous value for trainer
Nicky Henderson, who sent out See You Then to land a hat-trick
of wins in the race in the 1980s.
On day two, the RSA Chase, the three-mile
novice chasers championship, looks set to fall to Long Run. The
horse was imported from France at the start of the season and he
has already proved himself to be of a very high class. Currently
the 3/1 market leader, he has most to fear from stable companion
Punchestowns.
