Put simply, nothing can or ever will compare to Cheltenham week. It is the one week in the year nothing else matters. Some people do often say to me that there’s little point in getting so worked up about something that will be over before you know it. Simply because that is Cheltenham. That is the aura of the Festival and that’s what it means to people.

There’s not another thing that compares to it. It is the National Hunt Olympics. Not a second of it has been missed since the day Adrian Maguire won the Gold Cup aboard Coole Ground. That was watched in a pub in Tumbridge Wells in London!
Apart from the heroics of Dawn Run, Maguire’s miracle act in getting Viking Flagship up to win the Queen Mother and Istabraq’s hat-trick of Champion Hurdles and, obviously, Nicanor and Go Native winning, are the Cheltenham memories that will last forever closest to home though.

Everyone has their own hopes, dreams, expectations and ‘bankers’ every year. Though maybe at Prestbury Park there’s no such thing as the latter in reality!
For the last couple of years, however, Garde Champetre has filled that role for me. He’ll be high on the list again – provided Nina Carberry is fit to ride the 11-year-old – but, surely there has never been a greater certainty going to the Festival than Dunguib.

Of the rest, Kauto Star appears to have the Gold Cup for the taking, depending on which version of Master Minded turns up, the same could be the case for him, while it will come as little or no shock to many that the dream come through for me would be to see Paul Carberry at his ice-cool best holding Go Native for as long as possible before charging up the hill to Champion Hurdle glory!

As regards tips though, punters could do far worse than copy the few ante post bets I’ve done myself:

Lucky 15 with:
Dunguib (Tuesday March 16th)
Captain Cee Bee (Tuesday)
Go Native (Tuesday)
Kauto Star (Friday)

Lucky 15 with:
Garde Champetre (Tuesday)
Rite Of Passage (Wednesday)
Master Minded (Wednesday)
Quevega (Tuesday)

And a few Euro each way on Pandorama and Tavern Times (both Wednesday)

May the wait soon be over and the action soon begin! Good luck to one and all.


The Guvnor...