The highlight of the first day’s racing at the Festival is the Champion Hurdle, the Grade one showpiece run over two miles that often confirms who is the champion of the hurdling division.

A large field of superstars almost always goes to post and there is a form candidate everywhere you look, something that certainly seems to be the case in 2010.

With the Irish having a strong grip on the race over the course of the last ten years, this year’s renewal looks in the hands of trainer Nicky Henderson, the legendary handler responsible for market principals Zaynar, Binocular and last year’s winner Punjabi.

Irish duo Solwhit and Go Native are also at the head of the betting in what is sure to be a fascinating highlight of a fantastic day’s racing.

Ladbrokes currently make Zaynar their 5/1 market leader for Tuesday's feature, while Go Native and Solwhit are 6/1 joint second favourites.  Last years 1-2-3, Punjabi, Celestial Halo and Binocular are 8/1, 10/1 and 8/1 respectively.

Champion Hurdle - Ladbrokes
2m, Cheltenham, March 2010
5 Zaynar, 6 Go Native, 6 Solwhit, 8 Binocular,8 Punjabi, 9 Khyber Kim, 10 Celestial Halo, 14 Starluck, 16 Voler La Vedette, 25 Sublimity, 50 Quevega, others on request (1/4 odds 1,2,3)