For many the Cheltenham Festival. is a chance to sit in front of PC or TV, watching top class horse racing from the comfort of an armchair and having plenty of bets. But to truly ‘get’ that festival feeling you need to have witnessed this great sporting occasion in the flesh. You have to experience the roar of the crowd as the tape goes up in the first race of the day. Scream like a banshee as your nap of the day pulls clear up the hill. Watch in despair as your hard earned goes down with the horse at the second last and all this before the third race of the day!

So here we are, for many the culmination of the jumps season comes down to the next four days. Sure, there’s Aintree and the National, or the Punchestown Festival in Spring but the majority of punters, jockeys and trainers look forward to this week alone in the national hunt racing calendar and so do we at totesport.

Tuesday kicks off with the Supreme Novices Hurdle, with the Willie Mullins trained Cousin Vinny likely to go off favourite. The Irish have an excellent record in the race over the past ten years with seven wins and six places from 68 runners. Cousin Vinny, currently a 5/2 shot in totesport’s non runner no bet market has seen significant support in the market. The 6yo looks a worthy favourite and has adapted to hurdling well this season after winning the Champion Bumper at last year’s festival. After a couple of easy wins he stumbled on landing in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in February gifting victory to Pandorama, but there’s no doubt he would have hacked up if not for the slip and if anything has strengthened his claims here. Willie Mullins son Patrick will be in the saddle and that’s caused some controversy within racing circles with more experienced Jockey’s touted for the ride. There’s some talk that this horse would have gone to the Ballymore Properties had stablemate Hurricane Fly not got injured, so perhaps there’s a couple of reasons to look elsewhere for some value.

When looking at ten year trends in this race, Go Native certainly ticks plenty of boxes. The Noel Meade 6yo won well last time out in graded company and has never lost with jockey Paul Carberry on board and at 10/1 with totesport looks a very decent bet. It’s certainly rated well enough where the trends are concerned, travels and jumps well at speed. He certainly looks the pick of the Irish after the favourite.

Elsewhere, second favourite Torphichen is fancied by many, including trainer David Pipe. There are slight worries as to whether it’s good enough as it’s RPR falls below what Check out totesport for all prices for the Cheltenham Festival.the trends suggest it is needed to win this. He’s a 9/2 shot here with totesport.

The Arkle Trophy sees favourite Tatenen the one to beat at 7/2 with totesport. The Paul Nicholls trained 5yo has two wins and a second to his name this season and certainly ticks the most trends here. However, the loss last time out in Ireland has left some question marks and may require softer ground to excel at Cheltenham. That could be said of plenty of others though as Calgary Bay, second in the betting at 8/1 also looks like he needs further. He does have course form having won a 2m5f race here on New Years Day but his hurdle form won’t appeal to trends backers.

10/1 Kalahari King looks the standout horse in terms of hurdling form after finishing fourth in the Supreme last year. He’s three from four over fences this season and can be excused the sole defeat, but the big question mark is his age. At 8 years old he’d be the oldest winner since Moscow Flyer, but it’s not out of the question and if they go a good clip here he could be in the frame coming back up the hill.

The feature race of the day is the Champion Hurdle, with hot favourite Binocular looking to go off a very short on the day. At 11/8 with totesport he’s on the slight drift as question marks are raised over whether he can get up the hill (beaten here by Captain Cee Bee in last years Supreme). Three trends go against him coming in to this race also. Although Katchit won the race twelve months ago he was the first 5yo to do so since 1985. He is also under raced in comparison to previous winners (six) and has never won at Cheltenham. He also hasn’t run since the turn of the year and no previous winners have had such a lay off since 1993, although the stable are confident of turning him out fit after a break. He was mightily impressive in winning the Boylesports Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas and has won his last three since defeat in the Supreme. If conditions suit he’s surely the one to beat.

The betting market certainly suggests this as next best Celestial Halo is a 7/1 chance with totesport. Paul Nicholls looks to repeat the trick of following up the Triumph Hurdle with a Champion win as a 5yo, achieved by Alan King and Katchit in last years’ race. Celestial Halo certainly ticks a lot of boxes where the trends are concerned but if Binocular is on form it’s difficult to see him reverse the result at Ascot in December, although we know he gets up the hill.

Plenty have each-way claims and in Irish trio Brave Inca (20/1), Sublimity (20/1) and Hardy Eustace we have three former winners of the race, the latter a 100/1 shot with totesport! It’s Harchibald that catches the eye from over the Irish Sea. Don’t get me wrong, there’s an awful lot of sentimentality in this selection and as a ten year old age certainly isn’t in his favour, but he’s a course and distance winner and won the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton with aplomb. He’s missed out his seasonal prep run at Dundalk this year and the yard are bullish about his chances. If the ground comes up no worst than good to soft on Tuesday there aren’t many better 33/1 shots in this years festival.

Keep your eyes peeled on the totesport.org site during festival week for more Festival tit-bits and pointers.