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Remind me next time

It’s Cheltenham time again! Thousands of people will be making the annual pilgrimage to the West country and this is crunch time for everyone making the journey for the four day spectacle. For jump fans, it doesn’t get any bigger than this and it looks as though this year could be an above average renewal. All four Championship races look to fiercely contested with at least one “match” in each of them (or a six way go in the case of the Champion Hurdle.

We were greeted with the news over the weekend that ANNIE POWER has finally been declared for the World Hurdle on the Thursday, bypassing Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle and David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle in the process. She’s still unbeaten and now looks to put her credentials on the line against the mighty Big Buck’s. Willie Mullins’ mare looks sure to get some give underfoot come the big day and the fact she’s in receipt of 7Ib due to her sex allowance, she has a big chance of Cheltenham glory. She’s been as short as 3/1 since January but now the World Hurdle has been confirmed as the target, she’s now as low as 7/4 with Boylesports and 888. You can even have a bit of 2/1 with Ladbrokes and Spreadex if you’re quick enough!

Another big mover this week has been ROYAL BOY who heads for the Neptune with high hopes of becoming yet another Nicky Henderson trained winner at the Festival. After a promising hurdle career last season (including a second in the Tolworth Hurdle) he got back on track from a bizarre handicap chase reappearance by taking a maiden hurdle by 6l. Then he settled his unfinished business in this year’s Tolworth by smashing a decent Grade 1 field. The form of those two races this season is slowly striding into prominence which was highlighted by Big Hands Harry, a stablemate of his that he beat easily in the maiden hurdle, who won his next start on the bridle and looks a good thing himself. Royal Boy was available at 10s early last week but a combination of form working out and Pricewise tipping him up as overpriced have dealt with that. You can now have as low as 5s with Coral or 8s with Boylesports.