The Cheltenham Festival is finally upon us, and we have a fascinating opening day in store.

With seven races taking place, it offers up the chance for punters to get straight into the money on the first of four days of racing.

Sportsmail provides all the tips ahead of the opening day of Cheltenham Festival with selections from Britain’s No 1 tipster Sam Turner, National Hunt legend Peter Scudamore and former Grade One winning jockeys Lizzie Kelly and Mick Fitzgerald.

CHAMPION HURDLE 

Constitution Hill appears perfection in equine form and today is the day he can prove it.

Already ranked on a par with legends of the game such as Lanzarote, Bird’s Nest and Bula, Nicky Henderson’s star hurdler, unbeaten in all five starts under rules, has demolished every rival he has encountered to date and it is difficult to envisage defeat for a horse yet to come off the bridle.

The six-year-old boasts every attribute required in a top-level hurdler: a rock-solid attitude and temperament combined with a high cruising speed and brilliant hurdling technique make him the complete National Hunt horse.

With each of his victories to date achieved by a minimum of 12 lengths, it will take something special to stop his ascent to greatness. 

Constitution Hill makes it look easy but State Man poses a threat in Champion Hurdle

Constitution Hill makes it look easy but State Man poses a threat in Champion Hurdle

In any normal year, STATE MAN would be a warm favourite for this race and his presence should ensure this race is not a complete romp, whileI LIKE TO MOVE IT is unbeaten in three starts over hurdles on today’s track and should produce another career best.

SELECTION: CONSTITUTION HILL 1-3

MAIN DANGER: STATE MAN 3-1

LIVE OUTSIDER: I LIKE TO MOVE IT 16-1

TIPSTERS 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

PETER SCUDAMORE

LIZZIE KELLY

MICK FITZGERALD

MARCUS TOWNEND

GIMCRACK

3.30PM 

CONSTITUTION HILL 

I LIKE TO MOVE IT (EW) 

CONSTITUTION HILL 

CONSTITUTION HILL 

CONSTITUTION HILL 

CONSTITUTION HILL 

ODDS

1/3

16/1

1/3 

1/3 

1/3 

1/3 

SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE

There is a chance IL ETAIT TEMPS did not receive the credit he deserved for his runaway victory at the Dublin Racing Festival, with most analysis concentrated on the below-par run of stablemate Facile Vega.

There have been plenty of excuses offered for Facile Vega’s poor showing and he is highly likely to leave that effort behind here, but the selection ran to a very high level himself that day and I like the fact he has jumped hurdles at the Festival, courtesy of his fifth in last year’s Triumph Hurdle.

Following a dry February, connect ions of MARINE NATIONALE are probably ruing the recent rain, but he remains a major player with his high cruising speed suited to this test. 

RARE EDITION looks overpriced, given there were valid excuses for his Huntingdon eclipse last time.

SELECTION: IL ETAIT TEMPS 9-2

MAIN DANGER: MARINE NATIONALE 7-2

LIVE OUTSIDER: RARE EDITION 25-1 

TIPSTERS 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

PETER SCUDAMORE

LIZZIE KELLY

MICK FITZGERALD

MARCUS TOWNEND

GIMCRACK

1.30PM 

IL ETAIT TEMPS

TAHMURAS

MARINE NATIONALE 

IL ETAIT TEMPS 

HIGH DEFINITION 

IL ETAIT TEMPS 

ARKLE NOVICE’S CHASE

There looks no shortage of early pace here, with the headstrong Dysart Dynamo, Effernock Fizz and Ha D’or all likely to race to the first fence, while Jonbon is unlikely to be far behind. With that in mind, EL FABIOLO should relish the prospect of another strongly run race on just his third start over fences.

The selection picked up strongly under a similar scenario at the Dublin Racing Festival last month in the strongest novice chase of its type run this season and, but for a blunder at the fourth-last fence, produced a largely blemish-free round of jumping.

JONBON beat El Fabiolo over hurdles at Aintree last spring and has done little wrong over fences, even if he was more workmanlike than brilliant at Warwick last time.

Saint Roi crashed out of the Irish Arkle but could pick up some pieces late on.

SELECTION: El FABIOLO 13-8

MAIN DANGER: JONBON 7-4

LIVE OUTSIDER: SAINT ROI 9-1

TIPSTERS 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

PETER SCUDAMORE

LIZZIE KELLY

MICK FITZGERALD

MARCUS TOWNEND

GIMCRACK

2.30PM 

EL FABIOLO 

EL FABIOLO 

JONBON 

JONBON 

EL FABIOLO 

JONBON 

ODDS

13/8

13/8

7/4

13/8

7/4

7/4

ULTIMA HANDICAP CHASE 

Four of the last 12 winners of this race ran in the corresponding event the previous year, while five of the past nine successful were novices, so OSCAR ELITE makes plenty of appeal as he tries to improve on finishing third last year.

The eight-year-old has struggled with his breathing in the past and suffered a trapped epiglottis at Aintree last spring so has taken time to regain his confidence.

However, he finally made his mark over fences in a Grade Two at Ascot last time and is only a pound higher than when running so well in this contest last year.

CORACH RAM BLER produced an astonishing effort to take this prize 12 months ago. He appears to still be improving.

Nine of the past 11 winners wore headgear, so equipping FANTAST IKAS with a tongue tie and cheekpieces could be a smart move.

SELECTION: OSCAR ELITE (nap) 9-1

MAIN DANGER: CORACH RAMBLER 13-2

LIVE OUTSIDER: FANTASTIKAS 16-1

TIPSTERS 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

PETER SCUDAMORE

LIZZIE KELLY

MICK FITZGERALD

MARCUS TOWNEND

GIMCRACK

2.50PM 

OSCAR ELITE 

CORACH RAMBLER 

OSCAR ELITE 

FANION D’ESTRUVAL 

MONBEG GENIUS 

INTO OVERDRIVE 

MARE’S HURDLE

The decision to run MARIE’S ROCK here rather than the Stayers’ Hurdle adds even more lustre to a cracking renewal where any number of contenders can be fancied.

The selection has produced a career-best performance on each of her last four starts and again displayed her effectiveness at this venue when destroying Dashel Drasher, First Street and Champion Hurdle contender I Like To Move It in the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day. This will not be a simple task, though, with dual Champion Hurdle heroine Hone ysuck le in opposition.

This test will be more suitable than her task in the Irish Champion Hurdle, where she attempted to out-speed State Man over two miles on decent ground and she may go out on a high.

ECHOES IN RAIN is likely to be ridden quietly and could well arrive late with a big chance.

SELECTION: Marie’s rock 5-2

MAIN DANGER: Honeysuckle 7-2

LIVE OUTSIDER: Echoes in rain 12-1

TIPSTERS 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

PETER SCUDAMORE

LIZZIE KELLY

MICK FITZGERALD

MARCUS TOWNEND

GIMCRACK

4.10PM 

MARIE’S ROCK 

HONEYSUCKLE 

LOVE ENVOI 

MARIE’S ROCK 

MARIE’S ROCK 

BRANDY LOVE 

Marie's Rock has produced a career-best performance on each of her last four starts

Marie’s Rock has produced a career-best performance on each of her last four starts

BOODLES JUVENILE HURDLE 

Willie Mullins is yet to saddle the winner of this race in 17 attempts, albeit he was unlucky last year with Gaelic Warrior.

Teao has been all the rage for this race since his taking effort in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown, and he may be tough to resist.

However, PERSEUS WAY posted a career best over hurdles when events did not go his way at Kempton and could be a little overpriced.

His effort here behind Scriptwriter in November provided valuable experience of the track, and the recentlyadded cheekpieces look to have had a positive effect.

BYKER is the type of robust stayer which should suited to this contest, while Doncaster scorer SHARED also looks the type to run a huge price for rookie trainer Harry Derham.

SELECTION: PERSEUS WAY 14-1

MAIN DANGER: BYKER 6-1

LIVE OUTSIDER: SHARED 50-1

TIPSTERS 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

PETER SCUDAMORE

LIZZIE KELLY

MICK FITZGERALD

MARCUS TOWNEND

GIMCRACK

4.50PM 

PERSEUS WAY 

BYKER 

BAD 

PERSEUS WAY 

LUDUS 

BYKER 

ODDS

14/1

6/1

7/1

14/1

33/1

6/1

NATIONAL HUNT CHALLENGE CUP 

Backing GAILLARD DU MESNIL at around Evens may not be every punter’s cup of tea, but the sevenyear- old is the clear form pick, and a reproduction of his third to L’Homme Presse at last year’s Festival would surely be good enough to see him score.

The selection has chased home the much-vaunted Mighty Potter in two Grade One events this term and finally shed his maiden tag at Leopardstown after Christmas, so should relish this class drop. 

MISTER COFFEY enjoys finishing second, especially over fences, but he was an honourable runner-up in a staying handicap chase at this meeting last year and ran well at Uttoxeter last month.

TENZING needs to improve to figure, but this race represents his fourth start over fences and his debut run saw him chase home the wellregarded Gerri Colombe.

SELECTION: Gaillard Du Mesnil Evens

MAIN DANGER: Mister Coffey 10-1

LIVE OUTSIDER: Ten Zing 20-1

TIPSTERS 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

PETER SCUDAMORE

LIZZIE KELLY

MICK FITZGERALD

MARCUS TOWNEND

GIMCRACK

5.30PM 

GAILLARD DU MESNIL 

GAILLARD DU MESNIL 

MISTER COFFEY 

GAILLARD DU MESNIL 

MAHLER MISSION 

GAILLARD DU MESNIL 

ODDS

EVS 

EVS 

10/1

EVS 

7/1

EVS 

All odds courtesy of Paddy Power, the full list for all the races can be found HERE

PUNTER POWER

Your best chance of beating the bookies this week is to stick with Sportsmail’s brilliant team of tipsters, led all the way through the Festival by National Hunt legend Peter Scudamore and former Grade One winning jockeys Lizzie Kelly and Mick Fitzgerald. . .

PETER SCUDAMORE (EIGHT-TIME CHAMPION JOCKEY)

Winning back-to-back handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival is tough but far from impossible and I’m backing COR ACH RAMBLER (nap) to do just that in this afternoon’s Ultima Handicap Chase. 

David Pipe-trained Un Temps Pour Tout won the Ultima in 2016 and 2017 defying a 7lb rise to his handicap mark to win for the second time. Corach Rambler races off a mark 6lb higher than his 2022 winning one and I can assure you he is in great form. I ride him nearly every day in my job as assistant to my trainer partner Lucinda Russell. 

Next month’s Grand National is the big target for Corach Rambler this season but that doesn’t mean this is a prep race for the Aintree spectacular. He is ready for today and went very well in a recent gallop at Carlisle racecourse. I am backing Britain’s champion trainer Paul Nicholls to have a good week and I expect his Tahmuras to run very well in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, having won

LIZZIE KELLY (FESTIVAL WINNING JOCKEY)

Britain has some of its best chances on today’s first day of the Festival and one of our aces is definitely Nicky Henderson-trained JONBON in the Arkle Challenge Trophy. 

He has plenty of ability, having finished second to brilliant stablemate Constitution Hill in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on the opening day of last year’s Festival. He has also won his three novice chases this season, including the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

But what sways me and makes me choose him over his main opponent El Fabiolo is his sounder jumping. Sandown tests a horse’s technique as does Warwick and Aidan Coleman’s mount has won at both tracks, jumping really well. 

In contrast, El Fabiolo made a number of mistakes and was slow away from his fences when he won the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown last month.

MICK FITZGERALD (PADDY POWER AMBASSADOR)

Willie Mullins has a strong hand in the Festival opener, with four runners, and Il Etait Temps could be the pick of a strong bunch. They are going to go fast in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and that will help him relax. 

He could be the answer in a tricky opening contest. There will be a helter-skelter pace in the Arkle too, with Dysart Dynamo and Effernock Fizz in the line-up. With that guaranteed pace, I expect JONBON (nap) to sit just behind the leaders and pick them off late. 

FANION D’EST RUVAL ran in the last two Ryanair Chases and ran a very good race in the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby. The step-up in trip to 3m 1f in the Ultima will help and I can see him finishing late to hit the places at least at a nice each-way price. MA RIE’S ROCK won the Mares’ Hurdle last year and has been in great form at Nicky Henderson’s yard in the build-up. She can beat the former Champion Hurdle winners Honeysuckle and Epatante, with the latter chosen to chase her home.

MARCUS TOWNEND (CAPTAIN HEATH)

Willie Mullins has one of his many favourites in the WellChild National Hunt Chase in Gaillard Du Mesnil but it is a contest in which market leaders have a bad record and he looks worth taking on, despite his undoubted ability. 

Patrick Mullins’ mount has to prove his staying power in what promises to be a stamina-sapping test and the one who could beat him is MAHLER MISSION. 

The gelding is trained by John McConnell. He may not be one of the best-known Irish trainers to British punters but he has a growing reputation and has a couple of really good chances over the four days of the Festival. 

Mahler Mission has won only one of his four steeplechases but he has run with credit in three-mile races, all the time looking like he needs an even greater test of stamina. He gets that here. He has course and Festival experience and the final ingredient to his case is the booking of crack amateur jockey Shay Barry to ride.

THE WIZARD OF ODDS

INTHEPOCKET 16-1  (1.30)

There is plenty of stamina in the pedigree of Inthepocket and that could prove huge, with ground conditions likely to put more of an emphasis on durability than speed. A fine run behind Il Etait Temps at the Dublin Racing Festival entitles Henry de Bromhead’s gelding

ANTASTIKAS 16-1 (2.50)

Beaten 13 lengths when seventh in this race last year, Fantastikas has been quietly supported in the ante-post markets and makes some appeal with the tongue tie and cheekpieces applied for the first time, as nine of the last 11 winners wore a form of headgear.

ACTION MOTION 50-1 (4.50)

Ridden by legendary jockey Charlie Swan’s son Harry, this former flat handicapper caught the eye chasing home Triumph Hurdle favourite Blood Destiny at Cork before Christmas. He has since qualified with a victory at the same venue before again running creditably at Punchestown, so looks overpriced.

THE PLACEPOT MOLE

The Placepot involves selecting a horse to place in races one to six, with the chance of winning large payouts from small stakes. All the money staked goes into a pool which is then divided between the winners. If you choose more than one horse in each race, that increases the number of bets, or permutations, that you have. These are our picks for today…

Race one

Facile Vega (No 5)/Il Etait Temps (8)

Race two

El Fabiolo (3)/Jonbon (6)

Race three

Threeunderthrufive (5)/Into

Overdrive (9)/Corach Rambler (10)

Race four

Constitution Hill (1)

Race five

Honeysuckle (4)/Marie’s Rock (6)

Race six

Tekao (2)/Sir Allen (4)/Byker (5)/

Action Motion (12)

Perm = 96 lines x 10p

TOTAL STAKE: £9.60

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Post source: Daily mail

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