Cheltenham Is Here!

          Skin Full - Winner at Taunton

After all the talk and hype, the Cheltenham Festival is finally here!  It is not long until we hear the famous roar as the runners jump off in the Supreme novices hurdle at 1.20pm today.  There will also be time to remember Michael Sullivan before the first race has Cheltenham will pay its respects to the Festival winning jockey who sadly passed away recently following a fall.  I am sure it will and emotional day for many reasons and let's just hope it is a cracking day's action.

We have two runners today at Cheltenham, King Turgeon and Gericault Roque and Jack Tudor rides both.  King Turgeon runs in the Ultima handicap chase at 2.4opm and has an each way chance.  He has already had a terrific season but he does have to bounce back from a blip at Musselburgh last time.  He was never going that day and so I think you can put a line through that as it was too bad to be true.  He will love the ground and he is already a winner at the track this season.  He is in great form at home and while it is tough off a mark of 139 I think he will love the atmosphere of today and we will hopefully see a good performance.

Gericault Roque runs in the concluding National Hunt chase on the card at 5.20pm.  He has had just the one start at Windsor in January this season where is was third and this was a pleasing comeback following a long injury absence.  He was second at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022 off a higher mark in the Ultima and has some very good form in the book despite still being a novice over the larger obstacles.  He got a little tired at Windsor but we have done plenty more work with him at home and I think he has a good each way chance.

I am very much looking forward to the Champion hurdle today and I just hope all the horses run there races.  I am a big Constitution Hill fan and I think he will get the better of Brighterdaysahead.  Lossiemouth will take all the beating in the mares hurdle, as will Majborough in the Arkle so it is likely to be a good start to the week for Willie Mullins but hopefully we might get amongst the winners as well!

Yesterday at Taunton Skinfull confirmed the promise of his second at Doncaster with an impressive win in the three mile handicap hurdle.  Wearing first time cheekpieces we rode him more prominently, he jumped well and won cosily.  There is plenty more to come from him, especially over fences in due course.  He was our 48th winner of the season.  Jaipaletemps is slowly getting the hang of British racing and wasn't beaten that far, neither was Kintaro who ran well and finished a close fourth under our young amateur Rian Corcoran.

I hope you all enjoy Day one of the Cheltenham action from wherever you are watching!