Honeysuckle delivered the best performance of her career to win last year’s Champion Hurdle and there is no reason to suspect any of the also-rans 12 months ago can narrow the gap this time.
Appreciate It and Teahupoo, by contrast, are fresh opponents for Honeysuckle with considerable scope for improvement. The time of Teahupoo’s recent Grade Three win at Gowran Park suggests the form is stronger than it might have looked.
Honeysuckle (3.30), though, still has something to spare on form and gets the 7lb mares’ allowance too. The odds are short, but a win under Rachael Blackmore to elevate her further among the hurdling greats will be something to savour.
1.30 The “big three” in the market are unbeaten in seven starts over hurdles and closely matched on form and ratings. Dysart Dynamo’s winning time at Punchestown in January suggests the Irish form could be strongest and he gets the nod at around 5-2.
2.10 Edwardstone has been impressively consistent but he has little in hand on Timeform’s ratings and looks too short at 11-4. Haut En Couleurs (8-1) lacks his experience, which is a concern, but the market gave him a similar chance to stable companion Blue Lord before his fall at Leopardstown last time and his winning form on debut is rock-solid.
The 2022 Cheltenham Festival will open on mainly good going after a warm, drying day at the track yesterday resulted in the ground drying out rapidly to good, good-to-soft in places, having been good-to-soft, soft in places on Sunday. There will be no watering on the Old Course – which stages the first two days of the meeting – as up to 9mm of rain are forecast for the track on Wednesday.
“It’s currently soft, good-to-soft in places on the New Course, which is in use for the last two days,” Jon Pullin, Cheltenham’s clerk of the course, said on Monday night. “We are dry today, with temperatures of around 13 or 14C, and it’s a similar forecast for the opening day, but then on Wednesday there is some rain around, with the lower end of forecasts around 3mm, but some forecasts indicating up to 8 or 9mm.
“It will be spread throughout the day, but if it becomes heavier it will be during the afternoon," Pullin added. "We irrigated the New Course on Friday with 12mm, based on the forecast we were given and the warm temperatures that were expected. We’ll see where we are with forecasts for Wednesday and assess how much rain we actually get before making any decision on further watering of the New Course.”
2.50 Our Power ran into traffic problems at a vital stage at Kempton last time, but removed any doubts about his stamina for this three-mile trip when staying on well to finish within eight lengths of the winner. At 14-1, he is a very fair price to give Denman’s Gold Cup-winning jockey, Sam Thomas, his first Festival winner as a trainer.
4.10 Almost a private sweepstake for the Irish, who have the first six in the betting. Burning Victory, also very useful on the Flat, could be the one with most potential to find improvement, having looked more assured over hurdles in victory at Punchestown last month.
Sedgefield 1.15 Nora The Xplorer 1.50 Astra Via 2.30 Coral Blue 3.10 Just Call Me Al 3.50 Sayar 4.30 Powerful Position 5.10 Royal Sam
Cheltenham 1.30 Dysart Dynamo 2.10 Haut En Couleurs 2.50 Our Power (nap) 3.30 Honeysuckle 4.10 Burning Victory 4.50 Bell Ex One 5.30 Stattler (nb)
Southwell 5.20 Enderman 5.55 Divine Connection 6.30 Art Expert 7.00 Brandy Station 7.30 Fair Star 8.00 Daafy 8.30 Capla Spirit
Newcastle 5.45 Love Mystery 6.15 War Defender 6.45 Old News 7.15 Monsieur Jumbo 7.45 Ginato 8.15 Pulse Of Poppy
4.50 A daunting puzzle where at least a dozen runners could improve a stone on their form to date and still find a few to beat them. One eyecatcher (of many) is Bell Ex One at around 25-1, on debut for Paul Nicholls. He posted an impressive time at Punchestown in October and the yard has won this race twice in seven years.
5.30 There is little to choose between the principals in the closing race, but Stattler’s sound jumping could give him a narrow edge over Run Wild Fred.
