Horse racing / Timeform / 10 March 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now

According to the betting, Willie Mullins is likely to get his 2009 Cheltenham Festival off to a flyer with Cousin Vinny. But what do Timeform make of the jolly and the rest of the field?

Prepare for the famous roar from the Cheltenham crowd as the 2009 Festival gets underway with the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

Cousin Vinny looks set to lead the charge from across the Irish Sea this time around and has already been very well backed for trainer Willie Mullins, who has been in sensational form for most of the winter. When winning the Champion Bumper at the Festival twelve months ago, Cousin Vinny returned the highest ever Timeform rating in that sphere and he has looked a most exciting hurdling prospect, despite a stumble after the last costing him victory at Leopardstown last time.

David Pipe looks to have the leading British contender in the lightly-raced Torpichen. There was a lot to like about his performance at Sandown last time, where he had subsequent Grade 2 winner Trenchant behind. He's sure to improve further and is hard to knock, although it's worth pointing out that both his hurdling wins have been on soft ground, as was his sole success on the Flat.

Michael Flips is another live hope for the home team and his chance would be enhanced if, as has been speculated, AP McCoy deserts Ainama to ride him. Trained by Andrew Turnell, he progressed markedly again with the Champion jockey in the saddle when returning to winning ways at Kempton last time. The placed horses have both won since, giving the form some substance, and he'll be at least as effective over a stiffer 2m.

Go Native looked a smart prospect when jumping fluently and typically travelling very strongly en-route to success at Naas last month. He may not be one to trust implicitly though (hinted at temperament when chasing home Hurricane Fly on penultimate outing) and the form of his trainer, Noel Meade, is something of a worry.

When completing a Musselburgh hat-trick last time, Howard Johnson's Red Moloney gave more substance to the hype that's surrounded him when beating a good yardstick in Houston Dynimo every bit as easily as he'd shrugged aside weaker opposition previously. Cheltenham will provide a very different test, however, not least with regards to his jumping, which hasn't always been the most fluent, whilst the strength of the opposition is sure to expose any kinks in his temperament, which remains a concern given he wasn't the most genuine on the Flat.