Bodog's Cheltenham Festival Tips For 2009
Day One of the Cheltenham Festival usually means one thing to the hardened horse fancier - and that's The Champion Hurdle - or The Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy. Arguably the highlight of the day it's the one that sets the pace and gets the punters chomping at the bit! Now, at Bodog Towers we have been sitting patiently waiting and listening to see if our well placed hunches would come to fruition. Let's have a little think, because as any good tipster's 'Little Black Book of Racing Etiquette' will tell you, it's as much about the logic and probability as Lady Luck batting her eyelashes at said horse, jockey or trainer!
Let's have a shufty at last year's top three. How can we forget that the number one spot went to surprise winner Sublimity trained by John Carr and ridden superbly by Philip Carberry? This year he came in fourth so we wonder where he'll be in the Champion Hurdle 2009. Brave Inca trained by Colm Murphy romped home in the Champion Hurdle 2006 but last year he came in at second place under the hand of jockey Ruby Walsh but was not running this year. We were keeping an eye on last year's number three Afsoun from the Nicky Henderson camp but he didn't come up to scratch.
Anyway as you know The Cheltenham Festival isn't just about the Champion Hurdle the Supreme Novices yielded some interesting gems for next year too. Captain Cee Bee winner of Supreme Novices and is now available at 16-1 for Champion Hurdle 2009. He beat co-favourite Binocular who put in a gutsy ride under Tony McCoy who was fresh back from injury. First blood went to Robert 'Choc' Thornton last year's leading jockey at the festival – will he repeat the feat this year?
The Cheltenham Festival 2009 will be full of some eye-openers but on the whole we know that the Champion Hurdle is one race that produces a great repeat of fine form, so what are the odds of some repeat action in 2009? Sublimity didn't manage it this time since Katchit stormed home in first place and with odds of 5-1 already widely available for the Champion Hurdle in 2009. Katchit got the better of a titanic battle with Osana, overturning the defeat he suffered at Cheltenham in December in the International Hurdle. It's also history in the making since this win breaks the 23 year long trend of 5 year olds not winning the Champion Hurdle. Who says five-year-olds don't win the Champion Hurdle?
Last year's winner Sublimity was looking strong in fourth, and 2-1 favourite Sizing Europe was going well until being pulled up after fading before the last fence. Will they be back next year?
So there you go here are the results of this year's race. Go on start your homework now! And don't say that Bodog doesn't look after you!
RESULT:
1 Katchit 10-1
2 Osana 9-2
3 Punjabi 25-1
4 Sublimity 7-1
It was a quality race. Osana looked liked it had used up it's resources but kept in there.
Got lucky on day one with Katchit… day two is off by the looks of things spread across thurs and friday now. The world hurdle looks promising, going with Inglis Drever 11/10