Champion Hurdle set to be a thrilling curtain-raiser for the 2021 Cheltenham Festival

After weeks and weeks of anticipation, there are just seven days to go until the 2021 Cheltenham Festival gets underway and horse racing fans across the country settle down on their sofas and armchairs to feast their eyes on four days of top-quality racing.

The opening day of the Festival features the Champion Hurdle as its showpiece, and this year’s edition of the race is set to be incredibly exciting. There is a plethora of potential winners for the two-mile, half-a-furlong race, with punters scrutinising over the Champion Hurdle odds to try and determine where the value lies.

The favourite for victory is Honeysuckle, an unbeaten mare who has turned plenty of heads in recent times with her stunning performances. Trained by Henry de Bromhead, it’s no surprise that Honeysuckle leads the Champion Hurdle betting market having recorded a sensational 10 successive victories over hurdles since bursting onto the scene.

The only potential stumbling block for Honeysuckle is the fact that this will be the biggest race of her career to date, and it will be interesting to see how she copes with the pressure. Of course, she’ll have an experienced rider on her back in the form of Rachael Blackmore, who has multiple Cheltenham wins to her name, so that should stand de Bromhead’s prized asset in good stead.

Another obstacle for Honeysuckle to overcome is last year’s Champion Hurdle winner Epatante, who heads into this year’s race favourably priced yet again. It was a fine performance 12 months ago from the Nicky Henderson-trained mare to deliver on her status as favourite and earn victory in the day one showpiece.

Now, the pressure is on to go for glory once again. Epatante had been the early favourite for the Champion Hurdle for some time, but the continued excellence of Honeysuckle meant that Henderson’s horse was soon knocked off her perch in the betting market. Combined with the fact that Epatante suffered her first defeat in 18 months in the Kempton Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day, it’s difficult to know what kind of form she will show in Cheltenham.

Also lining up at fairly short odds is Goshen, who returned to form in fine style by winning the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton in February after a poor run since capitulating in the Triumph Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival. It was the nature of the Wincanton victory that ensured Goshen entered onto people’s radars for the Champion Hurdle, winning by 22 clear lengths over Song For Someone. That’s the kind of dominant form that can lead to success at Cheltenham, and while the five-year-old will have his work cut out, trainer Gary Moore is in confident mood.

“Goshen’s in great form and I couldn’t be happier with him going into the Cheltenham Festival.” Moore said recently. “He worked well earlier this week and will do two more bits of work before the race and that will be all. I think with the Champion Hurdle, a lot of the main protagonists are going to want a stamina test. Honeysuckle is proven over further and Epatante flew up the hill last year. It looks like being an interesting race and of course you are fearful of both of those mares, but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Although the likes of Abacadabras, Silver Streak, Concertista and last year’s runner-up Sharjah could well have a say, the Champiom Hurdle Cheltenham card looks set to be the three-horse race that Moore alludes to. With the absence of spectators from the Prestbury Park stands this year, an exciting start to the Festival will be vital in terms of hooking the viewers at home and getting them in racing fever for the action that lies ahead.

With just a week to go until the Champion Hurdle, it’s looking like this year’s race could prove to be one of the most entertaining in the Festival’s history.