There's no such thing as a dead cert, especially at the Cheltenham Festival, where the races are usually ultra-competitive. However, I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the company of a semi-professional punter last week and, after a little cajoling, he kindly supplied me with the horses that he expects to win at Prestbury Park next week. Naturally, they're far from guaranteed to be first past the post, but here at BettingPro, we're far too generous to keep these pearls of wisdom to ourselves!

My ears pricked up especially when 'Mr Pink' mentioned the Champion Hurdle, the showcase race on the Tuesday. Would these high-rolling gambler be sweet on last year's winner Sublimity (5/1 Ladbrokes) or perhaps fancy the enigmatic Harchibald (13/2 bet direct) to confound his many critics and land the spoils? Perhaps, I ventured, the David Pipe-trained Osana (6/1 Sporting Bet) had the makings of a Champion Hurdler, especially after winning the Boylesports Hurdle at Cheltenham in December?

Mr Pink shook his head and explained that all of the above horses would be competing for second place. Instead, the one to back for this two-mile extravaganza is current favourite Sizing Europe (2/1 Blue Square) who he said 'could win by a long way' on Tuesday. This brute of a six-year-old thrashed the likes of Hardy Eustace and Al Eile at Leopardstown in January, after previously proving too good for Osana in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in November. Quite simply, Pink added, if he's in the sort of nick that trainer Henry De Bromhead has claimed, this should be a cakewalk for the Irish raider.