Champion Hurdle Tips – Copybet
Day One of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday looks exceptional and includes what looks to be one of the most open Champion Hurdles in years.
A field of nine has been declared for the blue riband event over 2m, which has an off-time of 4pm, last year’s winner Golden Ace amongst them.
Golden Ace – Cheltenham
Jeremy Scott was almost embarrassed to celebrate last year’s Champion Hurdle win with Golden Ace, so fortuitous was the success, but the eight-year-old mare is a solid, reliable and hardy performer and represents excellent each-way value in Tuesday’s renewal.
The daughter of Golden Horn benefitted from falls from both Constitution Hill and State Man 12 months ago, but she had the reopposing Brighterdaysahead well behind her and there’s a doubt about Gordon Elliott’s mare showing her true colours at the festival, having been turned over at odds-on by Golden Ace in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at this fixture in 2024.
She was coming with a good looking challenge when left in front by the fall of The New Lion at the second-last when landing the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle in November and may well have won even if Dan Skelton’s charge had stood up.
She was within 3lb of that when chasing home the now sadly injured Sir Gino in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day and, although she’s got something to find on the book with a few of these, she’s one you can pretty much set your watch by and looks sure to be thereabouts, with the drying ground very much in her favour.
Lossiemouth – Cheltenham
Mares have won five of the past ten Champion Hurdles and that could be a continuing trend with Lossiemouth, Brighterdaysahead and Golden Ace featuring among the top four in the betting.
They get a 7lb sex allowance from the boys and that’s a big advantage, especially when noting their respective ratings of 159, 160 and 152.
Willie Mullins has opted to come here with Lossiemouth as opposed to seeking a third straight victory with the grey in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle on Thursday, his decision very likely swayed by the absence of Constitution Hill.
She is a perfect 4-4 at Cheltenham, three of those victories coming at the festival and, while she comes here off the back of a defeat at the hands of Brighterdaysahead at Leopardstown last month, she looked ill at ease on the heavy and will be far happier by this quicker surface.
Connections have reached for first-time cheekpieces, which could see a bit of improvement.
The New Lion – Cheltenham
A good winner of the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle at the festival last year, The New Lion lost his unbeaten record when falling heavily at the second-last on his first try over 2m in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle in November.
He was in front at the time, but was under pressure and about to be challenged, and was by no means certain to fend off Golden Ace.
He got back on track with a win on the New Course here in January in the International Hurdle, but that form is nothing to write home about and there are serious doubts about him being able to concede 7lb to three smart mares over a trip he’s yet to excel over.