The opening day of the Cheltenham Festival has the potential to be the best of the meeting and the Arkle is set to be one of the highlights of the whole week.  Nick Wilby takes a look at the Grade One showpiece.

Unbeaten over fences, Sizing Europe (11/2, Paddy Power) has put the disappointments of the last two years firmly behind him since he took to the bigger obstacles this season.  Troubled with injury problems ever since his impressive victory in the Irish Champion Hurdle, he has barely clipped a fence this campaign,

Yet he heads to Cheltenham with pundits and punters seemingly unwilling to forgive him his defeat in the Champion Hurdle two years ago and it is alarming to see so many people happily drawing a line through his chances next week.

True, he travelled like the winner when sent off favourite for the Grade One and stopped like he had been shot at the foot of the hill, trailing home last in a race that had been at his mercy only a few furlongs earlier.  People were happy to come to the conclusion that it was the hill that defeated Henry De Bromhead’s superstar and he quickly developed a reputation for being a fragile underachiever.

However, the same people that labelled him with the tag must have let his victory in the 2007 Greatwood Hurdle escape their mind.  Racing under a big weight on soft ground at Cheltenham, Sizing Europe flew up the hill doing his best work late on in a bloodless victory over quality opposition and punters that dismiss the horse’s chances based on his delicateness are advised to watch the replay of that race.

Despite winning four top class chases this season, Sizing Europe is still crabbed for his success in a Grade One at Leopardstown on Boxing Day with the majority of punters believing that Captain Cee Bee would have stolen the show had he not fallen at the last fence.  Whether he would or wouldn’t have beaten Sizing Europe is neither here nor there and the result told the story – Captain Cee Bee didn’t complete the race and Sizing Europe did, and won.

Even if we were to agree that Captain Cee Bee was the likeliest winner over the final fence, Sizing Europe didn’t look at his best that day and a horse that usually attacks his fences with great venom did not seem to enjoy the ground he was jumping on.  It was also his third graded race in as many months and he strikes me as the sort of horse who is best kept fresh.

His break from the track will serve him well and his ability to quicken and relentless engine were on show in an impressive racecourse gallop last week.  It is easy to see why his trainer is extremely bullish and he too believes that Cheltenham will suit Sizing Europe much better than Leopardstown.  He remains an outstanding prospect and will take the world of beating on Tuesday.

Paddy Power are a best-priced 11/2 on Sizing Europe winning the 2010 Arkle Trophy.  The firm are also offering new customers a free £50 bet on the race - sign up here.