Day one of the Cheltenham Festival features the first championship race of the week, the Champion Hurdle.
Last year’s race produced a surprise winner in the shape of five-year-old Espoir D’Allen, whose 16-length triumph represented the biggest winning margin in the history of the race.
Sadly, the champion suffered a fatal accident on the gallops last year, while Buveur D’Air, who had won the previous two renewals, is absent through injury.
Setbacks for other high-profile horses, including the Willie Mullins pair of Saldier and Klassical Dream, have left this looking one of the most wide-open editions of the race for many years.
Scroll down for Standard Sport’s guide to eight of the key contenders…
Epatante
| Jockey: Barry Geraghty | Trainer: Nicky Henderson | Age: 6 |
| Owner: JP McManus | Form: 119-11 | Odds*: 7/2 |
Horse guide: The six-year-old began this season with an impressive handicap win at Newbury, prompting a step into open company for the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, where she bolted up. Disappointment at last year's Festival is a slight concern, but she looks a much more mature horse this season. Gets 7lb mares’ allowance.
What they said: "She was impressive, wasn't she? I've even got to admit it myself, it was very good. I thought she was our best chance at Cheltenham last season but she didn't run her race. She's lovely, has a great temperament and has a good attitude." - Trainer Nicky Henderson, after Christmas Hurdle win.
Pentland Hills
| Jockey: Nico De Boinville | Trainer: Nicky Henderson | Age: 5 |
| Owner: Owners Group 031 | Form: 111-52 | Odds: 5/1 |
Horse guide: An emphatic surprise winner of last year’s Triumph Hurdle but proved it was no fluke with subsequent success at Aintree. However, big questions over form this season having been beaten on both starts despite looking every inch the winner during latter stages of each.
What they said: "I'm looking forward to him. He won the Triumph last year, a course and distance winner, so if he can reproduce some of the form from last year I think he's bang there with a good chance." - Jockey Nico De Boinville
Cilaos Emery
| Jockey: Paul Townend | Trainer: Willie Mullins | Age: 8 |
| Owner: Luke McMahon | Form: 1-11F1 | Odds: 6/1 |
Horse guide: An intriguing addition to the field, having been supplemented at a cost of more than £20,000. Began the season as a potential Champion Chase horse but fall at the Dublin Racing Festival prompted a return to smaller objects, winning the Grade Three Red Mills Hurdle to set up a tilt at this race.
What they said: “We keep coming back to saying that he has as much of a chance in the Champion Hurdle as he has in the Champion Chase. That’s the reasoning behind where we are going.” - Trainer Willie Mullins after Red Mills win
Sharjah
| Jockey: TBC | Trainer: Willie Mullins | Age: 7 |
| Owner: Mrs S Ricci | Form: 1B-416 | Odds: 10/1 |
Horse guide: Three-time Grade One winner, including at Leopardstown this Christmas, who usually needs better ground to be seen to best effect. Brought down in this race last year and the fact that the Mullins yard went to the trouble of supplementing Cilaos Emery would not fill you with confidence.
What they said: "His run the other day in Leopardstown was terrible. He is usually an excellent jumper and hopefully he can put that behind him. I would prefer if the Champion Hurdle was run on the last day for him, as he wants drier ground." - Trainer Willie Mullins
Supasundae
| Jockey: Robbie Power | Trainer: Jessica Harrington | Age: 10 |
| Owner: Ann & Alan Potts | Form: 271-24 | Odds: 10/1 |
Horse guide: Incredibly consistent performer for Jessica Harrington, having finished outside the top three just twice in last 15 starts. Ran in the Stayers’ Hurdle in each of the last two seasons, but trainer admits that may have been a mistake, and finally gets his chance here.
What they said: “He’s in great form and I was absolutely thrilled with the way he ran in Leopardstown. I think the trainer might have finally got it right this year – two miles in Cheltenham might suit him as he just doesn’t get up the hill over three miles." - Trainer Jessica Harrington
Darver Star
| Jockey: Jonathan Moore | Trainer: Gavin Cromwell | Age: 8 |
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Owner: SSP Number Twentytwo Syndicate | Form: 111132 | Odds: 10/1 |
Horse guide: Remarkable improver who began the year with novice status in tact and was running off 104 in a maiden at Wexford at the time of last year's Festival. Now almost 50lbs higher after finishing second to Honeysuckle in Irish Champion Hurdle.
What they said: "You could never have imagined he'd take us this far. To progress from winning off 106 at Wexford to have a fair chance in the Champion Hurdle is something else. There's a few flags being made in the lead-up to Cheltenham around the local pubs. We'll enjoy it all." - Co-owner Simon Fagan
Couer Sublime
| Jockey: Davy Russell | Trainer: Gordon Elliott | Age: 5 |
| Owner: Chris Jones | Form: 423-13 | Odds: 14/1 |
Horse guide: Finished second behind Pentland Hills in last year's Triumph Hurdle before landing Grade 2 success in WKD Hurdle in November. Not seen since finishing a distant third to Sharjah at Leopardstown at Christmas but certainly open to improvement.
What they said: "He had a break after his last run and came back home to us for a change of scenery before returning to Gordon. He worked very well during the week, they're very happy with him and I hope they're right." - Owner Chris Jones
Fusil Raffles
| Jockey: Daryl Jacob | Trainer: Nicky Henderson | Age: 6 |
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Owner: Simon Munir & Isaac Souede | Form: 21-11P | Odds: 14/1 |
Horse guide: Star juvenile who won the Adonis before taking Grade One honours at Punchestown last season. Workmanlike in getting job done as odds-on favourite on seasonal reappearance and last seen being pulled up in Christmas Hurdle, as ground conditions limited options.
What they said: "He was very disappointing in the Christmas Hurdle, which is why I would have liked to run him again. He is not the flashiest of work horses anyway and this time last year when he won the Adonis, I did not fancy him a lot." - Trainer Nicky Henderson
*All odds acording to Betfair and correct as of 08/03/20.
