Cheltenham Going News

The going at Cheltenham Racecourse ahead of The Festival, which starts with Champion Day on Tuesday, March 11, remains Good to Soft.

The Old Course at Cheltenham is used for the first two days of The Festival, March 11 & 12, with the racing switching to the New Course on March 13 & 14.

Simon Claisse, Regional Director of Racing, South West & Clerk of the Course, Cheltenham, said today: "Both hurdle tracks and both chase tracks are Good to Soft.

"I took the soft in places out of the going description yesterday. I will look again at the ground later this afternoon but I am not anticipating changing the going description then.

"Tomorrow, however, I expect to have good somewhere in the going description.

"The forecast is for dry and warm weather to continue, though it will not be as warm today on Monday and Tuesday. Today's high was due to be 16C, while it is forecast to be 11C on Monday and 13C on Tuesday.

"The condition of the New Course, used on Thursday and Friday, will be monitored throughout the week as it is anticipated to continue to dry out."

The 2014 Stan James Champion Hurdle

Class 1, Grade 1, £418,000 Total Prize Fund. Cheltenham, 3.20pm, Tuesday, March 11, 2014, two miles and half a furlong. For four-year-olds and upwards which are allotted a rating of 130 or more by the senior BHA Head of Handicapping following a review of the horses entered and taking account of races run up to and including March 4 - horses who are not qualified for a rating in GB, IRE or FR may also be entered (such horses may be eligible providing the Handicapper is satisfied that the horse's racecourse performances up to and including March 4 would merit a minimum rating of 130 - the decision of the BHA Head of Handicapping shall be final). Weights: 4yo: 11st 2lb; 5yo+: 11st 10lb; fillies & mares allowed 7lb. Entries closed January 14, entries revealed January 15 (18 entries). Scratchings deadline February 11 (11 remain), £20,000 supplementary stage & six-day confirmation stage March 5 (11 six-day confirmations plus 1 supplementary entry), final declaration 10.00am, March 9 (9 declared runners).

Captain Cee Bee (IRE) Edward Harty IRE 11st 10lb Mark Walsh

Grumeti Alan King 11st 10lb Wayne Hutchinson

Hurricane Fly (IRE) Willie Mullins IRE 11st 10lb Ruby Walsh

Jezki (IRE) (Hood) Jessica Harrington IRE 11st 10lb Barry Geraghty

Melodic Rendezvous Jeremy Scott 11st 10lb Nick Scholfield

My Tent Or Yours (IRE) Nicky Henderson 11st 10lb A P McCoy

Our Conor (IRE) Dessie Hughes IRE 11st 10lb Danny Mullins

Ptit Zig (FR) Paul Nicholls 11st 10lb Daryl Jacob

The New One (IRE) Nigel Twiston-Davies 11st 10lb Sam Twiston-Davies

9 declared runners

4 Irish-trained

The following three horses were taken out of the race today: ANNIE POWER (IRE), THOUSAND STARS (FR), UN DE SCEAUX (FR)

Latest betting from Stan James:

11/4 The New One, Hurricane Fly

4/1 Our Conor

9/2 My Tent Or Yours

9/1 Jezki

20/1 Melodic Rendezvous

50/1 Ptit Zig

100/1 Grumeti

200/1 Captain Cee Bee

TIMEFORM ON THE CHAMPION HURDLE: CAN HURRICANE MAKE HISTORY AGAIN?

Hurricane Fly heads Timeform's ratings for the Stan James Champion Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival, Tuesday, March 11, as he bids for a third win in the race, but he will have to be at his very best to see off a strong field of up-and-comers.

Hurricane Fly seeks to join a very exclusive club, one which so far has only five members, as a three-time winner of the Champion Hurdle. The Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old, of course, joined an even more select group last year when he became only the second horse (after 1973 and 1975 winner Comedy of Errors) to regain his Champion Hurdle crown after losing it. Although he is unbeaten in four starts since Cheltenham, including a fourth straight win in the Irish Champion Hurdle, Hurricane Fly may have to improve on what he's done previously because of the new wave of hurdlers.

Timeform Jumps Handicapper, Phil Turner, explained: "My Tent Or Yours, along with The New One and Our Conor, are snapping at the heels of Hurricane Fly. There is little between the four of them in the betting, or on Timeform ratings, with just 4 lb separating the quartet, whilst even Jezki isn't far behind either. All of them have already shown form good enough to win an average Champion Hurdle, so the chances are Hurricane Fly will have to be at his very best, if not better than ever, to see them off."

Comedy of Errors was also a 10-year-old when attempting to win a third Champion Hurdle in 1976, but he managed only fourth behind an outstanding new opponent only half his age in Night Nurse. That Champion Hurdle ushered in a new generation of top hurdlers, with runner-up Bird's Nest (aged six) and sixth-placed Dramatist (aged five) also in the field, and that younger brigade went on to dominate the division for several years afterwards.

Turner added: "It's not out of the question that something similar will happen with this modern crop. That said, Comedy of Errors had already been beaten by both Night Nurse and Bird's Nest prior to Cheltenham, whilst Hurricane Fly has come out on top against his two younger Irish rivals on both previous meetings. He's now got to prove himself against the British-trained pair."

Tuesday's race has attracted the smallest field since eight lined up for that 1976 renewal - there were also nine runners in both 1980 and 2013 - though Timeform feel that this shouldn't detract from the race at all.

"It's a case of quality over quantity. With the possible exception of Hurricane Fly's stable companions Annie Power (who runs in the World Hurdle instead) and Un de Sceaux, all of the big names have made it there. As a result, it looks set to be the race of the 2014 Festival."

Champion Hurdle (all ratings weight-adjusted)

184 HURRICANE FLY

183 MY TENT OR YOURS

182 THE NEW ONE

180 OUR CONOR

177 JEZKI

175 MELODIC RENDEZVOUS

169 PTIT ZIG

167 CAPTAIN CEE BEE

158 GRUMETI