ED CHAMBERLAIN: Constitution Hill leads the charge at Cheltenham, while stage is set for Honeysuckle

With ears back and mane standing on end, this majestic and wondrous horse prepares to take flight. Mighty Constitution Hill will lead the charge in a firecracker on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Buckle up for four days of the most exciting sport as the best show jumping horses in the UK and Ireland battle it out on this spectacular racecourse.

This is the week that sells our sport like no other, as the greatest spectacle on the turf renews old rivalries, conjures new heroes and racing returns to the public consciousness.

Cheltenham means a lot to many of us and today promises to be the best of the season so far, by far. Over 65,000 people will pack the course and millions more will watch on TV, because you’ve got everything you want for a day of top-quality sport, starting with the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, as the fanciful Facile Vega tries to achieve. . the Irish at a wheel.

Next up is an epic showdown in the Sporting Life Arkle Chase of El Fabiolo and Jonbon, followed by a wide-open Ultima Handicap Chase for punters to sink their teeth into.

All of that whets an appetite for the big race of the day and possibly the horse of a lifetime, as the magnificent Constitution Hill does in the Champion Hurdle.

An effortless 22-length victory in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle thrilled racing fans and now Constitution Hill has a chance to put his name in the spotlight as a true superstar.

One thing we know in racing is that nothing sells our sport to the public better than great horses. At ITV, I’m lucky enough to introduce viewers to powerful competitors like Enable, Tiger Roll and Stradivarius, and Constitution Hill could outshine them all. I hope you do something remarkable at 3:30 p.m.

Not that the action ends there. We have the best Mares’ Hurdle race in living memory, as Cheltenham get a chance to say thank you and farewell to double Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle.

Win or lose, and Honeysuckle has some tough opponents today, none more than the 2020 Hurdler Champion Epatante, the reception she and jockey Rachael Blackmore receive is sure to be chilling.

ITV’s coverage of the year’s race week begins at 1:00pm with the Escala female violin quartet playing a dramatic soundtrack on top of Cleeve Hill, looking out over the racecourse.

Then look for a special feature featuring the legendary Michael Dickinson, who remembers the day 40 years ago he trained the first five horses in the Gold Cup.

Assisting me throughout the week is the incomparable Ruby Walsh, leading the hockey at the Festival an incredible 11 times. Ruby will be at the center of analysis, which brings back memories of working with Gary Neville on Monday Night Football, with Gold Cup-winning jockeys Sir Anthony McCoy and Mick Fitzgerald.

Our aim, as always, is to make you, the viewer, feel like you are part of the Cheltenham Festival. And if the first day makes your mouth water, just wait for Friday and by far the best Gold Cup since horse racing returned to ITV.

He is of great quality and has plenty of stories, including another potential superstar in Galopin Des Champs, trained by Willie Mullins, who could blow up the race.

Opposed is the horse that did just that last year, A Plus Tard, another Blackmore history maker.

Then there’s the fairy tale horse, Hewick, who cost £800 and is now mingling with the equine elite after big wins on both sides of the Atlantic.

It’s a Gold Cup that has a lot going for it, and I think the Mullins-trained Stattler, driven by the trainer’s son Patrick, is the winning bet of the race.

The highlight on Wednesday is the Queen Mother Champion Chase and I’m on the Edwardstone side, trained by Alan King.

The stage is set for Double Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle to bid a glorious farewell.

Mullins’s team seem keen on Impaire Et Passe’s chances at the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, which opens the action.

On Thursday, many will be cheering for Paisley Park as he tries to reclaim his Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle crown, although the old man might be against it.

We’ll also see if the rejuvenated Shishkin can strut his stuff in the Ryanair Chase and get another big reception in one of the sport’s best amphitheatres.

So sit back, relax and enjoy. This is going to be spectacular.