cheltenham Festival, day 1.

​The strangest of all Cheltenham Festivals begins in around about 1-hours-time. Without fans, with no atmosphere, it will not be comparable to other years. We are racing, though, and in hope the oddness of this year’s Festival will prevail with my thoughts, I offer you the following insights on the seven races.
First the rider: I am a useless tipster who occasionally is inspired. Tom Segal, I am not.
The Supreme might be the strangest race on the whole meeting with only 8-runners and leading up to the meeting I was in the Metier camp. I would certainly like him to win for Harry Fry and Sean Bowen, a combination deserving of big winners. If the ground is riding better than soft, I’ll stick with him, otherwise I jump ship and go with Blue Lord to create a surprise. Appreciate It, to me, is a chaser and he might find this a race a bit hot.
The Arkle is a one-horse race, apparently, though you’ll not get rich backing Shishkin. If Harry Skelton can avoid falling off Allmankind he might steal the race. Shishkin is undoubtedly a class horse but he has not yet, to my mind, been involved in a proper end-to-end horse race and Allmankind will provide that today. The other one not to forget about is Captain Guiness, though I am inclined to shy away from novices that fell on their previous outing. I’m with Allmankind. 
The Ultima is not the classiest handicap chase I have witnessed at a festival and as such might be primed for a long-priced winner. Aye Right is the best horse in the field and on his Ladbroke Trophy run is, in my mind, a good thing, especially with Richard Johnson on board. The outsider I have a fancy for is Neil Mulholland’s Fingerontheswitch and the always impressive Millie Wonnacott.
In the Champion the heart would love to see Honeysuckle win but my colours have been nailed to the mast of Goshen since last year’s Festival and I will not be deserting him. Silver Streak will almost certainly be placed and the dark horse is James Du Berlais; I can’t believe Willie Mullins would be bringing him over just for the day out. He has seen something on the gallops to convince him that it he is not a 25/1 outsider. All his wins have been on Auteuil heavy ground and over a few furlong further than 2-miles. We have been warned.
The Mares Hurdle is an intriguing event, even if Concertista is a short-priced favourite. I am wondering why Paul Townend rides for Munir and Souede in this race and not their retained rider Daryl Jacobs. Does this infer Townend doesn’t fancy James Du Berlais in the Champion? I think the favourite will win but if I was having a bet I would go each-way on Black Tears.
The Boodles Juvenile Handicap is the most competitive race of the day with most of the 23-runners in with some sort of chance. Curious Bride, at the bottom of the handicap, is interesting and there must have been a legitimate reason for her pulling up last time for Noel Meade to bring her over, though stable jockey Sean Flanaghan prefers his other runner Jeff Kidder. Tentatively I side with Her Indoors for Alan King, with Glorious Zoff and Curious Bride for a place.
In The National Hunt Chase I have finally got my Festival wish – professional jockeys riding. Never mind tradition; if we used tradition as the reason to keep this race restricted to amateurs it should be a maiden chase over 4-miles started behind the stands as in ‘olden times’. On a day when my suicidal tendencies have kicked in, tipping only one Irish horse to win, I ride in here with my nap of the day, Remastered. Lovely horse, with future Grand National horse written all down one flank. I am worried by Escaria Ten, though. Please Cheltenham, keep this race for professionals. Half the bad publicity this race has endured over the past few seasons could have been avoided if it were not restricted to amateurs.