As per my Champion Hurdle article, it was a revealing hour spent with Mr Pink at an unnamed location last week. This semi-professional punter allowed me to glimpse at a handful of selections in his Cheltenham portfolio, along with justifications as to why these horses might win. While his banker was for Tuesday's showcase race, he'd also come to a conclusion regarding the opening race of the Festival; the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

The betting for this race suggests it's entirely wide open, with the likes of Rippling Ring (8/1 Ladbrokes), Khyber Kim (8/1 Sporting Bet), Muirhead (8/1 William Hill) and Captain Cee Bee (8/1 VC Bet) all currenly vying for favoritism. However, none of these took Pink's fancy at the prices, especially with Pigeon Island available at quotes of double-figure odds (11/1 bet365). I pondered this for a moment; sure enough the five-year-old had won well at Kempton last month, although that particular Novice Hurdle was hardly the best pointer for the Festival.

Mr Pink sensed my indifference to his prediction and asserted this horse was the value each-way bet for the race. One only had to be at Cheltenham on 18th November last year to see Paddy Brennan steer it to fifth place in a race won by Champion Hurdle favourite Sizing Europe. He pointed out that this nag rarely finishes out of the frame and has won several times this season, performing especially on the good ground predicted at the Festival this week. That's now where my money's headed on Tuesday, here's hoping for a good start!