Cheltenham Festival 2016: Who to back on day one in the Champion Hurdle, Arkle and Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Three bets for day one of National Hunt racing’s finest festival

The long wait for the Cheltenham Festival is finally over. Tuesday promises some of the most fiercely competitive racing of the year, with the feature race being the Stan James Champion Hurdle.

The card opens with the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, where the fastest novices around hope to fulfil some lofty reputations. No more so than the favourite, Min, who is owned, trained and ridden by the same triumvirate that has dominated this division over recent years.

The son of Walk In The Park bids to emulate stablemate Vautour and half-brother Douvan, winners of this race in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Inevitably, the hype around the five-year-old is enormous, whether he can live up to it is another question.

Ruby Walsh crosses the finishing line at Douvan wins the Supreme Novices' Hurdle (Getty Images)

The second race on the card again features a favourite trained by Willie Mullins, ridden by Ruby Walsh and owned by Rich Ricci – the aforementioned Douvan. Having taken his prodigious talent to the taller obstacles, there appears little standing in his way to a second win at the festival.

An ultra-competitive handicap chase slots in next before the Stan James Champion Hurdle, which may lack star names through injury but is still a fascinating betting proposition.

The card is then made up with another race in which Mullins has dominated during recent years and unsurprisingly he has another star contender in Vroum Vroum Mag.

The National Hunt Chase and Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase complete the card, two more competitive tests to finish off a compelling day’s racing.

Watch the video above for three tips ahead of Tuesday’s action.