Favourites focus: Back or avoid?

- This year's Cheltenham Festival takes place from March 12-15
- The Cheltenham Festival takes place at Prestbury Park in the heart of the Cotswolds 
- There are seven races each day for a total of 28 across the Festival 
- The feature race each day takes place at 3.30pm
- Here we assess some of the strong market favourites for the Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is looming large on the sporting horizon, with just four weeks left until the 'greatest show on turf' dominates the sporting agenda for a week in March.

Across the four days there are 28 races at the Cotswolds extravaganza and here we are taking a look at some of the ante-post market leaders and asking should punters back or avoid the jolly?

Ballyburn has multiple options in the three Grade 1 novice hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival – the Supreme, the Baring Bingham and the Albert Bartlett. 

Trainer Willie Mullins has given no indication where he is going, though it seems safest to assume the three-mile Albert Bartlett won't be the answer.

He doesn't appear short of pace, but it would be no surprise if he turned up the Baring Bingham over 2m5f as opposed to the Supreme, especially with Mullins holding strong claims in the latter race via unbeaten Mystical Power at 4/1 with LiveScore Bet.

National Hunt racing's poster boy, Constitution Hill returns to the Cheltenham Festival with just one run behind him this season after some minor setbacks along the road.

Some of those were weather related, but in January he was ruled out of Trials Day in the Cotswolds after a poor scope. Nicky Henderson could have him spot on come day of the Festival but, with an improved State Man to contend with now, could this be the day that Constitution Hill tastes defeat for the first time? Probably not, but even so, at 2/7 with LiveScore Bet to win a second Champion Hurdle, there are safer options.

Last year's Triumph Hurdle winner returned to action on Trials Day at Cheltenham in January and trounced Love Envoi in a really fine display. 

If Willie Mullins didn't have State Man to try and knock Constitution Hill off his perch, there is a strong chance this mare would be attempting to do it, but it is infinitely more likely she will instead face her own sex and prove much too good in the Mares' Hurdle.

Following a facile Dublin Racing Festival success in which he saw off one rival, a well below par Gaelic Warrior, the Mullins-trained Fact To File is 6/4 favourite with LiveScore Bet for this three-mile test.

Those odds looks rather short despite the promise of more improvement upped in trip. In Stay Away Fay and Grey Dawning there are a pair of excellent British-trained challengers and Fact To File still has something to prove. 

The impressive winner of the Arkle at this meeting last spring, El Fabiolo remains unbeaten in six starts over fences. He easily dismissed Jonbon in that race last March and his main market rival fluffed his lines in the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham in January, whilst also giving himself a very hard race.

El Fabiolo, meanwhile, was far too strong for stablemate Dinoblue in the Dublin Chase in early February and that mare will likely score here on day four in the Mares' Chase. Willie Mullins may be missing Energumene, winner of this race in the last two years, but he's got the perfect supersub.

Banbridge looked very good in the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton in January and the 2022 Martin Pipe winner is a fair contender for this intermediate Grade 1 over fences on day three of the Cheltenham Festival. He has won at the this venue as a chaser but there are plenty lurking dangers, including last year's impressive Ryanair winner Envoi Allen at 4/1 with LiveScore Bet.

This ultra-impressive juvenile could be Britain's banker of the meeting. He is three-from-three over hurdles and absolutely sauntered clear of the hitherto impressive Burdett Road when landing a JCB Triumph Trial at the course in January. On that evidence it is will require something quite beyond the ordinary to deny him in the Friday curtain-raiser.

The reigning Gold Cup champion, Galopin Des Champs fully deserves top billing on his return to the Cotswolds. Things didn't go perfectly 12 months ago, but he was much the best in the end, too good for Bravemansgame. 

He was twice beaten afterwards either side of a summer break but his two efforts since have seen confident dismissals of Gerri Colombe and Fastorslow – the two main Irish alternatives.

Bravemansgame appears to have regressed and Shishkin, the shortest-priced British contender at 15/2 with LiveScore Bet, still has something to prove in terms of stamina. Nicky Henderson's charge won the Denman Chase at Newbury in his final prep, but defeating Hitman and Protektorat is League One form, while mastering Galopin Des Champs will be Champions League stuff.