Cheltenham Betting – Kauto Should be Star of the Show Again

Pin badges, tea-towels, car stickers or t-shirts. Take your pick of the merchandise and choose your corner for the big fight between Kauto Star and Denman! To my mind, the Cheltenham Festival is just too big to narrow it down to one race between two stablemates but the Gold Cup bandwagon has been on the roll for a while now and evryone seems to have an opinion about who will come out on top. For me, that has to be Kauto Star (7-10 with sportingbet). He trounced Denman (a general 4-1) here last year and has won both races since, edging out Imperial Commander (9-1 with Paddy Power and William Hill) when not fully wound up on his reapperarance this season at Haydock before routing the opposition in a fourth King George at Kempton in December. What would worry me about Denman is that he’s failed to complete in two of his last three starts and may be lacking a little confidence whereas Kauto Star appears to have improved in that department as he’s matured. The Gold Cup, of course, is just one of several championship races this week. Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle is a fascinating contest – what will current favourite Go Native (4-1 with sportingbet) find when pressed, for example, and how fit is the other great Irish hope Solwhit (13-2 with the same firm)? I wouldn’t desert Punjabi (8-1 with Coral), who will relish the quicker ground and showed his class when winning this 12 months ago. The Queen Mother Champion Chase will determine whether Master Minded (10-11 with totesport) retains his title as Europe’s top two-mile chaser. Paul Nicholls‘ seven-year-old probably has the lightly-raced Kalahari King (a general 5-1) and last year’s Arkle winner Forpadydeplasterer (a general 9-1) to beat, though the Ditcheat handler is also expecting a big run from Master Minded‘s stable companion Twist Magic (widely available at 7-1). The Irish hold a strong hand in the Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase with Captain Cee Bee (a general 11-4), winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival in 2008, a leading fancy. He would have gone very close to beating Sizing Europe (5-1 in most places) at Leopardstown on Boxing Day had he not fallen at the last and has won since. Somersby (4-1 with most layers), unbeaten over fences so far, looks the pick of the home defence in this. Big Bucks is hard to oppose again the World Hurdle (a general 8-13) but what’s my value banker of the meeting? For that, I’m waiting for Friday and the Triumph Hurdle. Alaivan may have been well beaten by Carlito Brigante (5-1 in most places) at Leopardstown in December but he pulled much too hard that day. He was really impressive when ridden with more restraint at Fairyhouse last month and, Group standard on the Flat, can outclass his rivals in the final-day opener. Edward O’Grady‘s charge can be backed at a general 4-1.