Who To Follow On Day One Of The 2022 Cheltenham Festival

James Mackie | @JMackieRacing

Mon 14 Mar 2022 13.17

Cheltenham 13:30

Constitution Hill

Nico de Boinville

Nicky Henderson

Age: 5

Weight: 11-7

OR: 148

The first race of the 2022 Cheltenham festival sees the Grade One Supreme Novices' Hurdle and we are siding with the superstar Constitution Hill for Nicky Henderson.

The gelding looks to be a serious animal for Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley, with the £120,000 purchase making an extremely taking rules debut at Sandown in December.

The four year old gelding had been seen once in a point to point before his rules debut, when finishing a head second in what might turn out to be a smart P2P.

Heading to Sandown in a Novices' Hurdle, he cruised next to the favourite Might I for Harry Fry, who is a good horse in his own right, and having jumped the last impeccably he went on to take the event by 14 lengths.

This saw Constitution Hill go from a 40/1 outsider for this race to a general 4/1 second favourite.

Seen once more since then he managed to land Grade One glory in the Tolworth Hurdle winning just as impressively as his previous, pulling away from a decent field to win by 12 lengths.

He looks a freak of a horse and although needing to improve again, he looks the one to beat.

Form: 111View

Date	Course	Distance	Type	Weight	Position
26/12/23	KEM	16	Gd	11-10	1
13/04/23	AIN	20	GS	11-10	1
14/03/23	CHL	16.5	Sft	11-10	1
26/12/22	KEM	16	Sft	11-10	1
26/11/22	NCS	16	GS	11-10	1

Gordon Elliott missed last year's festival due to circumstances the racing world is familiar with but that leaves him this year making the most of the 2022 Cheltenham festival, sending his biggest ever team to Prestbury Park.

In the opening event of the meeting he fields lively each way player Mighty Potter who looks to be underrated in the betting markets but could throw down a big challenge to the leading protagonists.

He holds a leading chance in the Arkle with the smart mare Riviere D'etel and in the Ultima has the favourite Death Duty who looks very well handicapped and he also has Floueur who won't be far away.

Elliott is looking to take down Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle with Teahupoo and Zanahiyr who could both run big races and then in the Mares Hurdle will go close again with Queen's Brook.

The Cullentra based handler has a big chance in the Boodles Handicap with The Tide Turns, Ebisari, Britzka and Doctor Churchill.

One of his best chances of the afternoon comes in the National Hunt Chase with Run Wild Fred who is made for this race.

Rachael Blackmore was the star of the Cheltenham festival last season and she could have a superb start to the 2022 meeting with some leading chances.

Her first ride of the day comes in the Arkle on Coeur Sublime who has an underrated chance in the race that is wide open this year.

With no ride in the Ultima, all of her attention turns to the Champion Hurdle where she is looking to land back to back renewals with the superstar Honeysuckle.

For the same connections in the Mares Hurdle she sits on the favourite Telmesomethinggirl who was a winner of the Mares Novices' Hurdle last term at the festival and she looks to have been set up for the Grade One event this year.

Her final ride of the day comes in the Boodles with Champion Green who has a live chance winning nicely last time out.

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