Cheltenham Festival Day 1: Honeysuckle hoping to reproduce past heroics
The 2023 Cheltenham Festival is upon us, with 28 races packed in across the next four days and plenty of local interest in tandem to keep punters fixated between now and Friday.
All the action kicks off from 1.30pm and there is Waterford representation in two of today's seven contests, with the Supreme Novices' Hurdle providing the curtain-raiser at a packed Prestbury Park.
Here's all you need to know about Day 1:
Supreme Novices' Hurdle (13:30): The opening race of the festival pits the finest novice hurdlers up against one another over a distance of two miles. The Willie Mullins-trained Facile Vega, winner of last year's Champion Bumper, is likely to go off favourite despite being well-beaten last time out at the Dublin Racing Festival, when his tactics proved to his detriment on account of a strong pace which was set by Joseph O'Brien's High Definition.
Barry Connell's unbeaten Marine Nationale poses a real threat to Facile Vega's hopes of a second festival success, having captured the Grade 1 Royal Bond at Fairyhouse in December, though he hasn't been seen since, and it would buck many trends for a horse that hasn't been on the track for over days to win the Supreme. Il Etait Temps romped home to victory ahead of Facile Vega last time out at Leopardstown, while Diverge, son of Frankel, also holds an outside chance for the Closutton maestro Mullins.
Henry de Bromhead is represented by the JP McManus-owned Inthepocket, who will be ridden by Rachael Blackmore. He was an impressive victor of his debut at Wexford over two miles, before bagging a Grade 2 at Naas over three furlongs further. The six-year-old was second at the Dublin Racing Festival, and has ten lengths to find on Il Etait Temps.
Of the British challengers, the highly progressive Tahmuras leads the charge for Paul Nicholls having won the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in January. Olly Murphy's Chasing Fire is yet to taste defeat but also yet to tackle a Graded race, while Charlie Longsdon sends out four-time victor Rare Edition.
Arkle Chase (14:10): Just nine runners line out for this year's Arkle with one piece of local involvement, though many would be of the opinion that the race is a straight match between the best novice chaser in Ireland, El Fabiolo, and the best novice chaser in England, Jonbon.
El Fabiolo, a taking winner of the Irish Arkle at the Dublin Racing Festival, was having just his second run for Willie Mullins when beaten a neck by the Nicky Henderson-trained Jonbon at Aintree last April, and has made stellar improvements since with two comfortable successes over fences. Jonbon will hope to follow in the footsteps of his brother Douvan who scooted to success in this race in 2016 - and has won a Grade 1 over fences at Sandown, though he will need to improve on a rather less than impressive showing at Warwick last time out when seeing off Calico in a match race. Jonbon admittedly has the better jumping of the duo, but it looks to be a fascinating battle.
Mullins is also represented by Dysart Dynamo, Saint Roi and Ha D'or. Dungarvan jockey Sean Houlihan will ride the Sheila Lewis-trained Straw Fan Jack, a general 80/1 shot who has been the yard flagbearer in recent seasons. He has had two wins over fences this season including a C&D success with Houlihan aboard, though this represents a notable step up in class against some top opposition.
Ultima Handicap Chase (14:50): The Ultima Handicap Chase is the third race of the festival and has proved a happy hunting ground for British trainers in recent seasons - with the Irish without a winner in the race since 2007. Incidentally, all of the last four winners have been Irish-bred horses trained by British handlers.
The 3-mile 1-furlong affair was won last year by the Lucinda Russell-trained Corach Rambler, one of the favourites for this year's Aintree Grand National - and he will likely go off as favourite at just a 6lb higher mark than that of 2022.
Martin Brassil's Fastorslow is deemed the best contender among the Irish offering, having been a valiant runner-up in last year's Coral Cup. Monbeg Genius, Into Overdrive and Nassalam are also among those attracting market support with 23 horses bidding to take their chance.
Champion Hurdle (15:30): It is a small field of seven for the feature race on day one of the festival - though that can largely be put down to many wanting to avoid taking on the Nicky Henderson-trained Constitution Hill, the runaway winner of last year's Supreme, who is deemed by many to be British racing's next superstar.
The six-year-old has been dominant in the Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdle this season, and has won his five starts over hurdles at an aggregate margin of a whopping 77 lengths. At 1/3, he is the shortest-priced favourite of the entire festival, and a horse who is seemingly destined to become one of the all-time greats.
His primary opposition comes from the Mullins-trained State Man, who conquered Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, having also comfortably defeated his stablemate Vauban in the Matheson Hurdle at Christmas.
State Man was an eyecatching winner here last year in the County Hurdle and is 6-6 for this formidable yard - but his price of 10/3 goes to show just how highly regarded the favourite is on this occasion.
Last year's Triumph Hurdle champion Vauban will also hope to run well for Mullins, as will the Nigel Twiston-Davies hopeful I Like To Move It, who powered clear for a very impressive 17-length success in the Kingwell at Wincanton some weeks ago.
Mares' Hurdle (16:10): The Mares' Hurdle could well prove to be the last time that Honeysuckle, Henry de Bromhead's stable star, is ever seen on a racecourse.
While she may have lost her air of invincibility with her first two career defeats this season, she still bids to become a four-time Cheltenham Festival winner having struck in this event in 2020 and the last two runnings of the Champion Hurdle. Honeysuckle and Blackmore will come up against some stern opposition, coming in the form of last year's winner Maries Rock for Henderson, as well as the Mullins-trained Brandy Love and last year's Mares' Novices' champion, Love Envoi for Harry Fry.
Maries Rock is the current market favourite, having won her last four starts and opts for this race as opposed to the Stayers' Hurdle on Thursday. She boasts numerous Graded victories on her CV, the most recent of which came over course and distance in the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year's Day.
Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (16:50): The second handicap of the festival is run over two miles with 24 runners, and last year's winning jockey and owner combination, Mark Walsh and JP McManus, hold another ace in the form of the Willie Mullins-trained Tekao, a winner of Leopardstown maiden hurdle who is currently as short as 5/2.
Limerick trainer Charles Byrnes bloods Byker, while there are some interesting jockey bookings with Rachael Blackmore confirmed to ride the Ben Pauling-trained Bad, who is yet to race in Britain, but has been subject to some eye-catching market support in a similar vein to that of Gaelic Warrior in last year's race.
Danny Mullins also teams up with the Andrew Slattery trained Sir Allen, winner of the Naas novice hurdle that three of the last four winners of this race have captured en-route to Cheltenham success.
National Hunt Chase (17:30): Three and three-quarter miles await the field in the closing race of the day, with the Willie Mullins-trained Gaillard Du Mesnil highly-fancied to take the honours.
Currently trading around odds-on, Gaillard Du Mesnil was the winner of the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown, while also finishing third in last season's Irish Grand National. He holds the strongest form of the field and represents the same stable who had last year's victor, Stattler.
His primary competition is likely to come from the John McConnell-trained Mahler Mission, and Gordon Elliott's Minella Crooner - while the British charge is led by the Nicky Henderson-trained Mister Coffey, who will be ridden by Derek O'Connor.
