The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest National Hunt horse racing meeting in the world. All eyes in the sport turn to Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire, England, for the annual four-day event in March.
This year’s renewal could be the chance for three very talented horses to cement their place as the real stars of the sport. Here is a look at those runners and their assignments.
Constitution Hill – Champion Hurdle
Nicky Henderson’s unbeaten hurdler Constitution Hill is the 1/3 favourite in the Cheltenham betting for the Champion Hurdle this year. He has had an excellent campaign so far, with wins coming in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle.
Unbeaten superstar Constitution Hill heads 17 entries for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on March 14, along with State Man and Honeysuckle
Bob Olinger and Sir Gerhard have also been entered pic.twitter.com/qbhOZ6EbA2
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) January 10, 2023
Constitution Hill is likely to be one of the leading Cheltenham tips for the Festival this year as he has the potential to be an all-time great hurdler. In his five appearances to date, he has cruised to success, indicating he has bags of ability.
The Champion Hurdle will allow Constitution Hill to add his name alongside some of the best 2m hurdlers in history. He is to set take on defending champion Honeysuckle, who has won the Championship contest in each of the last two years.
Facile Vega – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
One of the leading novice hurdlers in the UK and Ireland this season has been Facile Vega. The runner is based in Ireland, and he has scored by a large margin in both of his two appearances over obstacles.
Last season’s Champion Bumper winner will be bidding to successfully follow up at the meeting in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the opening race of the week. He is the red-hot odds-on favourite for the 2m contest.
As a three-time Grade One winner, Facile Vega has proved himself at the highest level. His future looks very bright, and he may be set to help his trainer pick up a record-extending eighth success in the day one race.
Galopin Des Champs – Cheltenham Gold Cup
Irish chaser Galopin Des Champs won three of his four races over fences last season. Had it not been for a fall at the final fence in the Turners Novices’ Chase when clear of the field, he would have ended the campaign with a 100% record.
Beast! Galopin Des Champs is back with a bang! pic.twitter.com/CohsILuhUL
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 19, 2022
The seven-year-old showed his class when he won the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on his sole appearance this season. His next start is likely to come in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival. That will be his final outing before Cheltenham.
L’Homme Presse was expected to be the biggest challenger to Galopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but the Venetia Williams-trained chaser has been ruled out of the meeting due to an injury. That makes the task easier for the Irish horse as he bids to continue Ireland’s great record in the 3m2½f contest.
The 2023 Cheltenham Festival takes place between the 14th and 17th of March, with the Blue Riband event of the meeting, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, scheduled to take place on the final day of the week.
