Buveur D’Air romped to victory in the feature race on this day last year as a 5/1 shot, streaking home by four-and-a-half lengths.
And he is an odds-on favourite to do so again in 2018, with last time’s runner-up My Tent Or Yours and veteran Faugheen expected to lead the chasing pack.
But all horse will be hoping the ground does not run as slowly as expected – for the first time since 1982, the ground was declared heavy, soft in places on the opening day of the Festival after a month of poor weather in the UK.
Cheltenham 2018 – Day one LIVE
9.30am: Good morning! And the best news I can tell anyone before we even start today is that it is NOT raining. There are some heavy dark clouds in the sky but they look pretty high and the forecast is for them to clear off by lunchtime, so the first race might even start in sunshine. Optimistic, I know.
Wellies might till be in order though: the ground is officially heavy, soft in places despite a dry night. That will make life a little trickier for horses and punters alike I would have thought.
Four hours until the first race – so we’ll keep you up to date with tips, odds and news stories from Cheltenham until then.
Early non-runner in the feature race: Nicky Henderson’s second horse in the Champion Hurdle My Tent Or Yours has been pulled out on veterinary advice.
