Cheltenham Festival, second day: Neptune and RSA

The twe other Grade One races today are the Neptune novice hurdle over 2 miles 5 furlongs at 15.05 CET and the RSA Chase for novices over 3 miles at 15.40. Nicky Henderson, who took the main event yesterday, has a strong hand in the latter event and it would come as no surprise were his 3 runners - Burton Point (Tony McCoy), Punchestowns (Barry Geraghty) and Long Run (Sam Waley-Cohen) to take the first three places.

The trainer has described the ex-French Long Run, who is always partnered by this rider, his owner´s son, as "freakishly good" and "frightening". The question is whether he is really suited by 3 miles here on fast ground. Punchestowns seems more reliable- after all he finished runner-up to Big Bucks in the World Hurdle over this CD a year ago, while Burton Point could be a good each-way bet at double figure odds. Diamond Harry(Nick Williams/ Timmy Murphy) is an obvious threat, as is the Irish hope Weapons Amnesty (Charlie Byrnes/ Davy Russell) a CD winner over hurdles at this meeting a year ago.

The Neptune novice hurdle also looks very open There is full Irish confidence behind Quel Esprit (Willie Mullins/ Ruby Walsh) and Rite of Passage (Dermot Weld/ Robie McNamara), of which we prefer the latter, but we would also be afraid of Ghizao (Paul Nicholls/ Timmy Murphy), who has an excellent German pedigree, Finians Rainbow (Henderson/ Geraghty) and especially the unbeaten Peddlers Cross (Donald McCain/ Jason Maguire), described by his trainer as a certain future champion.