Trainer Colin Tizzard picked up his first winner in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010 when Cue Card won in impressive fashion by eight lengths.
This year he has a strong chance of doubling that tally with Royal Guardsman who is fancied for the national hunt flat race. The five-year old won a competitive contest at Ascot last month which included runners from all the top trainers including Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson and Alan King. The win pushed him up the market for the Champion Bumper where he joins Moscow Mannon and Champagne Fever at the top end of the betting.
Cue Card disappointed connections at last year's Festival when he finished fourth in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle after going off favourite for the opening race on day one. Those following the best horse racing odds should remember this.
The five-year old was a lot of people's banker of the meeting but struggled to come home up the famous hill at Prestbury Park in a race won by Al Ferof for Champion Trainer Nicholls.
Cue Card is set to run in a very competitive renewal of the Arkle Trophy this year. He has made a solid start to his chase campaign with two wins and a second under his belt this campaign.
The favourite for the Arkle is Sprinter Sacre who has not put a foot wrong this season on the flat tracks of Kempton and Newbury. Both Henderson and jockey Barry Geraghty have gone down as saying they rate this chaser as one of the best they have come across in the sport.
Peddlers Cross has a good record at the Cheltenham Festival having won the Neptune Investement Management Novices' Hurdle in 2010 and then finishing second to the superstar Hurricane Fly last year in the Champion Hurdle. He has been well supported for the Arkle, although trainer Donald McCain has confessed this week that they are still thinking about the Jewson Novices' Chase.
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