The Cheltenham Festival edges ever closer and each time a well-backed horse wins a key pointer the excitement among fans ratchets up another notch. We can look forward to four days of thrilling action once again this March as the best in the business do battle in the Gold Cup and other eagerly anticipated races. There will be some hard-fought clashes as leading lights bid for supremacy, and here are the key clashes to look out for:
Might Bite v Sizing John
Sizing John achieved superstar status when he won three Gold Cups last season: Punchestown, Leopardstown and the piece de resistance, Cheltenham. He relished the step up in trip after years in Douvan’s shadow and proved himself to be the best in the business. The eight-year-old was tipped to dominate once more this season, but he has struggled to recapture the stunning form that defined his 2017 campaign.
He flopped in the Christmas Chase and was branded “clinically abnormal” after being well beaten by Road To Respect. The new antepost favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup is Might Bite, who romped to victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day. He obliterated the field, finishing ahead of leading lights such as Bristol De Mai, Thistlecrack and Whisper, and will be expected to dominate that trio once again at Cheltenham.
Road To Respect put in a great shift in the Christmas Chase and looks an interesting long shot, but Might Bite is the main contender in the Sporting Index horse racing spread betting. Yet if anyone can stop him it is Sizing John. If he overcomes injury and returns to his best he is a formidable opponent and has shown he enjoys the Cheltenham track, so it could come down to a fascinating duel between these superstar jumpers.
Willie Mullins v Nicky Henderson
Irish maestro Mullins has been named the leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival five times since 2010 and will have a strong hand this March. He missed out last year to surprise champion Gordon Elliott, but won it four years on the trot between 2013-2016. Elliott will return with another strong group and Paul Nicholls will be a contender, while the likes of Dan Skelton and Nigel Twiston-Davies are always in the mix. But Henderson, the leading trainer here in 2010 and 2012, looks the most likely to challenge Mullins this year.
He is leading the champion trainer table in the UK this season, with 93 wins and 131 places from 310 runs, and he has a formidable group heading to Cheltenham, including Might Bite and Champion Hurdle favourite Buveir D’Air. Mullins has had to contend with injuries to Douvan and Faugheen, but as always he still has a phenomenal stable heading into Cheltenham.
Mullins is second in the Irish champion trainer stakes so far, just behind Elliott in prize money despite having had 457 runs to Elliott’s 835, and he will be a strong contender to dominate Cheltenham once more.
Buveir D’Air v Faugheen
The battle between Henderson and Mullins will be writ large in the Champion Hurdle as they saddle the leading contenders: Buveir D’Air and Faugheen. The former won this race for Henderson last year and has been in exceptional form, winning his last eight races in a row. He was supremely comfortable in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle, and even Mullins admitted to being impressed by Buveir D’Air’s fantastic performance. He is odds-on favourite to defend the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but Faugheen is the one that could stop him. Mullins’ charge won it in 2015 and is one of the most talented jumpers in the world, but he has been struggling of late.
He pulled up and was dismounted as 1/6 favourite in the Ryanair Hurdle in one of the biggest upsets of the season. However, he was only beaten once in his career before that race and if on song he can really trouble Buveir D’Air.
Altior v Min
Henderson saddles the favourite in each of the three biggest races at the festival as Altior leads the fixed odds betting for the Queen Mother Champion Chase. He won it last year and was odds-on to win it again, but has since struggled with injury. However, Henderson said Altior is now “looking really good” heading into the business end of the season. He will have to overcome an extremely strong field and one leading challenger is fourth favourite Min. With Douvan sidelined, Min is one of Mullins’ leading lights for the festival and he is attracting a lot of antepost attention,
England v Ireland
Ireland absolutely thrashed England in the Prestbury Cup in 2017 and ended up with 19 wins compared to England’s nine. The Irish wrapped up victory as early as the second race on the final day, when Arctic Fire landed the County Hurdle for Mullins.
However, England will be strong this year and can gain sweet revenge, with Henderson leading the charge.
