ANTEPOST ANTICS | The Cheltenham Festival 2022 – Day One

The countdown for the 2022 Cheltenham Festival has officially begun, with punters already scouring the markets for value.

The opening day of the Festival gets underway on Tuesday 15^th March, with the likes of the Supreme Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle featuring in the opening seven races of the four-day event.

The Cheltenham.co.uk team has ripped apart their notebooks, picking out three horses that could well return a profit on the first day.

Here are the Antepost Antics selections for the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

SUPREME HURDLE – Jonbon (5/1 – Betfair + PP)

Despite the difficulty of the task that lies ahead for him in the Supreme, Jonbon could well be one to consider in the opening race of the festival.

The six-year-old has been a force on his four starts under rules, landing success on his sole bumper start before claiming a hat-trick of wins over obstacles.

The brother of Douvan has been fairly impressive under Nicky Henderson and while he faces a tough assignment against the likes of Dysart Dynamo and Sir Gerhard, he could well hold some decent each-way value at 5/1.

ARKLE CHASE – Haut En Couleurs (8/1 – Various)

Even though the five-year-old exited the Irish Arkle early two weeks ago, Haut En Couleurs still holds some interest in the Cheltenham edition of the contest here.

Willy Mullins’ recruit claimed success on his first start over the larger obstacles during the festive period, but it should be noted that the strength of his opponents can be questioned.

The son of Saint Des Saints battled his way into the Triumph Hurdle places on his first start for the Closutton trainer last year, which was impressive to watch at odds at 20/1.

Haut En Couleurs will need to show some improvement after his fall at Leopardstown, but he could well be in contention if he is at his best come March.

CHAMPION HURDLE – Adagio (25/1 – Various)

It is unlikely that the formidable force of Honeysuckle will be beaten here, hence why we’ve made a big-price selection here.

This race holds significant value with the places, with Adagio’s 25/1 price tag potentially holding some interest for each-way punters.

David Pipe’s recruit finished second behind Quilixios in the Triumph Hurdle last season and he also showed plenty of promise when running into second in the Greatwood Hurdle back in November.

The five-year-old will likely not get the better of Henry De Bromhead’s star, but he carries strong Cheltenham form and has never finished outside the places in his short career.