Cheltenham Festival Day 1 Preview

The first day of the Cheltenham Festival takes place on Tuesday and it kicks off with a bang as four Grade 1 races make up the first five contests.

The card features the last two winners of the feature Champion Hurdle, including the outstanding and unbeaten Constitution Hill, who bids to retain his crown after missing the highlight last season.

Our expert, Clive Gildon, has a trio of selections on the card including one in the opening race, one in the feature handicap and one in the closing event.

Tuesday’s tips

1.20 Cheltenham – Workahead

2.40 Cheltenham – Broadway Boy

5.20 Cheltenham – Gericault Roque

1.20 Cheltenham – Workahead

The Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (1.20) opens the card at Cheltenham and I’m keen to oppose the likely favourite Kopek Des Bordes. He looked buzzy in the preliminaries before winning at Leopardstown last time out and is fitted with a first-time hood.

That suggests connections think he might boil over and preference is for another impressive Leopardstown winner in Workahead. He thrashed the classy William Munny, who has since scored in Listed company and runs here, by seven lengths over Christmas in a good time.

Workahead jumped his way to the front that day and never looked in any danger of losing. It was a massive step up on his hurdling debut defeat at Navan previously, when he was probably in need of his first run for the yard. He hadn’t run for the best part of two years,

The selection has been put away for this race by trainer Henry de Bromhead, who was successful last year with Slade Steel, and might be capable of taking another big step up.

2.40 Cheltenham – Broadway Boy

The Ultima Handicap Chase (2.40) looks like a good race for a bet because Broadway Boy has an outstanding record at Cheltenham and can win at the track for a fourth time.

Broadway Boy brings one of the best pieces of form into the race, having finished a close second behind Kandoo Kid at Newbury in November. He went off a red-hot 5/6 favourite to go one better at this course on New Year’s Day, but finished a well-held fourth of five.

However, he didn’t jump with his usual fluency that day and connections unearthed a physical problem afterwards, which has reportedly been rectified since that disappointment.

Broadway Boy returns to his favourite course after a 69-day break and runners from the Nigel Twiston-Davies stable tend to be at their best following an absence.

There is every chance that the selection can bounce back for a stable that has been among the winners recently.

5.20 Cheltenham – Gericault Roque

Gericault Roque is another horse who has had plenty of physical problems down the years and he has run only 12 times at the age of nine. However, when he makes it to the track he has good form and he can put experience to use in the closing Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase (5.20).

The David Pipe-trained runner chased home Corach Rambler in the Ultima on this card three years ago and has also finished second in big races like the Mandarin at Newbury and the Classic Chase at Warwick. That race is over 3m5f and suggests that this trip will suit him.

Gericault Roque returned from more than two years off the course to finish third at Windsor in January and that should have put him spot on for a tilt at a big race like this in the spring.

He is now 7lb lower than when second in that Ultima three years ago, so is evidently handicapped to run well again, and he is still a maiden over fences so remains a novice despite having competed in some of the biggest handicaps in Britain. That is a huge plus.

Tuesday’s tips

1.20 Cheltenham – Workahead

2.40 Cheltenham – Broadway Boy

5.20 Cheltenham – Gericault Roque