Day 1 - 16th March 2010

At one thirty on Tuesday 16th March, the most prestigious event of the National Hunt calender gets underway. The Cheltenham roar will be heard for miles around Gloucestershire as the Supreme Novice Hurdle opens the show and this year we have a red hot favourite with Dunguib who has to be one of the most exciting novices around.

The Arkle Challenge Trophy is set as always to be a classic, Captain Cee Bee is making a real name for himself and is likely to run a big race but faces stiff competiton from the likes of Sizing Europe, top class hurdler Osana while our pick for an each way bet has to be Riverside Theatre who just seems to get better and better with each race.

The first big handicap race of the meeting follows with the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase and as always is contested by a large field, not great race for the favourites, it is very competitve and needs a horse with an abundance of stamina to win.

The feature race today is the Champion Hurdle and this year is contested by defending Champion Punjabi who always seems at his best this time of year along with 2007 winner Sublimity, last years runner up Celestrial Halo and the impressive and well fancied Solwhit.

The cross country course takes centre stage next for the Glenfarclas Handicap Chase where the Irish have completly dominated for all five years it has been running and four of them years it was Enda Bolger who came out on top so if you re looking for a betting tip for this race how about Garde Champetre, L'ami, Freneys Well, Drombeag and Heads On the Ground who are all from the Bolger stable.

The day ends with one for the girls only, the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle, a race named in honour of David Nicholson.

And that's just for starters.....