Classic Supreme Novice Hurdle to open Cheltenham 2013

All roads lead to Cheltenham after today's high class meeting at Sandown in which First Avenue ploughed through the mud to land a gruelling renewal of the Imperial Cup and possibly setting himself up for a £75,000 bonus if following up in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle on the final day of the Festival but its the opening day I will focus on today and what a line up we have in store for day 1 of Cheltenham 2013.

The traditional curtain raiser for the Festival the Supreme Novice Hurdle is shaping up to be a classic renewal with JP McManus's brilliant pair of novice's My Tent Or Yours and Jezki heading the market but they wont have it all there own way with the grade 1 winning Melodic Rendezvous who also took the scalp of the high class Puffin Billy who is also a intended runner here at Exeter on his latest start. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has course winner Dodging Bullets engaged while the Ireland's Champion trainer Willie Mullins has both last years Festival Bumper winner Champagne Fever and the unbeaten Un Atout entered but confirmation of there participation has yet to be announced but you can be certain at least one of these top notch novices will run here. My Tent Or Your looked a potential superstar when running away with the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last month while Jezki has done nothing wrong over in Ireland winning 4/4 this season but I'm going to make a tentative selection for Melodic Rendezvous in a race that has not been the best place for favourites in recent years and this high class 7 year old also boasts a course win along with his grade 1 win at Sandown and ticks all the right boxes in a fascinating contest.