Leading Champion Hurdle contender Grandouet will miss the race after trainer Nicky Henderson revealed the horse has undergone surgery to fix a joint problem.

The Seven-Barrows handler won’t make a final decision regarding the five-year-olds Cheltenham Festival aspirations until next week but it is doubtful that the trainer will take any risks with a horse that has huge future potential.

Grandouet successfully came through the surgical procedure he underwent on Tuesday evening on a joint problem that caused him to be scratched from the Grade Two Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton last Saturday – his intended prep race for Cheltenham.

“The surgery went well to flush fluid from the infection, which is within the joint itself,” Henderson said.

“With that tension released the horse is walking comfortably. However, to have a realistic chance of making the Champion Hurdle he needs to be back in action by the weekend because he has missed a couple of days. We’ll give him every chance to get there, but if he can’t he can’t.”

Another horse, whose place at the Cheltenham Festival is up in the air, is the Nick-Williams trained Diamond Harry. The 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup winner missed the majority of last season with a leg injury and came back this season with high hopes rested on him but he has yet to deliver. Following his run in the Argento Chase, where he finished well-beaten, the nine-year-old was found to have a breathing problem. He underwent surgery earlier this month and Paul Duffy, the spokesman of the horse’s owners, has revealed the operation was a success and they hope to run the horse in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup.

“The operation went okay and he’s recovered well. It was just a minor wind op,” Duffy said.

“He’s back doing a bit of walking. I know he’s had his preparation interrupted but he wouldn’t have been doing that much at this stage. Obviously we won’t know for sure if it’s worked but we’re going to have a go at the Gold Cup.”

Recent Betfair Hurdle third Raya Star looks to be heading for the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Trainer Alan King, who has saddled 14 winners at the Festival, was delighted with his novice’s performance at Newbury on Friday, where he finished a good third behind the talented Zarkandar.

Prior to that the classy performer had won the Ladbroke Handicap quite impressively and this recent run showed that despite the increase in the weights, Raya Star still looks an attractively handicapped horse.

The Coral Cup, run on the Wednesday at Cheltenham, also has been earmarked as an option but King will surely be aware of the great record Betfair Hurdle (formerly the Totesport Trophy) runners’ have in the County Hurdle; four of the last eight winners of the race had run at Newbury.

“He travelled great and, though I am making no excuses, it’s amazing that twice now he has had slow-run races, whereas we have always thought he wants an end-to-end gallop,” King said on his website.

“In all probability Raya Star will now run in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, but we will also enter him for the Coral Hurdle as we have always felt that he would be suited by a step up in trip.”

Elsewhere and one potentially well-handicapped horse that won’t be heading to Prestbury Park will be the Martin Keighley-trained Havingotascoobydo, who has ruled out after damaging some muscles in his back whilst on the gallops.

The seven-year-old has had the look of a top-chaser in the making at times this season and ran really nice race at Sandown recently when he finished second behind Ciceron. However, punters will have to wait until next season for him to reappear as Keighley tweeted: “He damaged some back muscles schooling and won’t be back in time for Cheltenham so we’ve decided to finish him for the season.

“The whole team are so disappointed as he was going there with such a great chance.”

The feature race of the entire Cheltenham Festival is shaping up to be renewal of epic proportions.

History could be made if Kauto Star can land his third Gold Cup, and even though his credentials are imperious, it looks to be a case of hearts ruling heads on Paul Nicholls’ stable-star’s chances.

At the current prices he looks the worst priced horse of the entire Festival and plenty will be looking to lay him come the day as his strong following will no doubt be piling the money on.

His career looked all but over when pulled up Punchestown last season but Paul Nicholls has revitalised the horse this season and has done magnificently to get him back to somewhere near his best – or even to the best he has ever been according to some people.

• Pick up a free £200/€200 bet on the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Bet365! Claim here!

The now 12-year-old landed the Betfair Chase and King George Chase in superb style ahead of Long Run, who beat Kauto Star by eleven lengths in last year’s Gold Cup. But the argument that he has come back better than ever is a little flawed as it’s more of the change of his racing tactics that have brought about the vast improvement.

Ironically, Nicholls’ has used the same front-running tactics that others usually employ to get Kauto Star beat himself.

In both his races this season Ruby Walsh has bounded out early doors and made the use of Kauto Star’s impeccable jumping, which has subsequently put the pressure on the sketchy jumping style of Long Run. The other jockeys have twice let Walsh dictate matters and twice he has rode Kauto Star to victory. Surely in the hustle and bustle of a Gold Cup Walsh’s rivals won’t make a mistake for the third time.

Added to that, it could be said that despite his two Gold Cup wins, Cheltenham isn’t really a track that suits the style of the legendary chaser. The stiff up-hill finish has found him out on a couple of occasions, including last season, and he has fallen twice already at Prestbury Park. If the Gold Cup was run at a flat-track like Kempton, then you may as well give him title now.

The age stats are also hugely against his chances a no horse older than ten has won since 1969 let alone a twelve-year-old. The race will probably one step too far for the iconic chaser, hopefully he won’t disgrace himself too much.

The obvious alternative is Long Run, but again, his place at the top of the betting is far from bombproof. Last year’s champion has well-published jumping issues, which were apparent in his two defeat’s to Kauto Star this season, but did finally manage his first win of the season at Newbury but could only beat Burton Port, who had been off the track for year, by only half a length.

Cheltenham is his track however, and his engine will make sure he’ll be staying on best of all at the finish. Whether his jumping can get him into a prominent position by the final turn is far from certain.

The negative vibes surrounding both market leaders mean there is some value to be had further down the market and we’re hoping David Pipe takes the plunge and decided to run high-class novice Grands Crus.

He has yet to be tried in all aged chasing company but his form as a novice so far this season looks the pick on offer, especially his run in the Feltham Chase at Kempton, where he was electric. That race was won in a markedly quicker time than Kauto Star achieved over the same course and distance.

Hopefully Grands Crus can sit in behind the pace and strike up the Cheltenham hill.

The highlight of St Patrick’s Day is the World Hurdle and this year’s has the opportunity to create history matched by no other horse.

The animal in question is Big Buck’s, who is going for unprecedented fourth straight win in the race – surpassing the achievements of recent hurdling phenomenon Inglis Driver, who landed the race 2005, 2007 and 2008.

The markets make Big Buck’s near unbeatable, he is a skinny 1-2 shot even at this ante-post stage, and his rivals are going to have to improve around 15lbs to even get near the imperious Paul Nicholls’ trained beast.

Who would have thought that following him unseating Sam Thomas in the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup, he would go 15 races over hurdles unbeaten, picking up over £900,000 in prize money along the way.

Every year has challenger has emerged from the pack to challenge Nicholls’ charge but all end up just playing for second place. The Nicky Henderson-trained Punchestowns tried in 2009, and in fairness did get to with two lengths of the superstar, but came back a beaten horse. Big Buck’s went off 6-1 that day – if only we knew.

• Pick up a free £200/€200 bet on the World Hurdle with Bet365! Claim here!

Time For Rupert was the next in line to have his dreams crushed in 2010. Big Buck’s preparations went smoothly as ever pre-race, with a win at Newbury, and Paul Webber’s runner had no answer to the sheer class of Ruby Walsh’s mount, who, in usual style, hit a flat spot, four out and looked briefly in trouble, before coming back on the bridle to surge clear come the line.

There was talk in 2011 of Grands Crus being the one to dethrone the king and although, with two furlongs to run, Big Buck’s looked in serious trouble once again his class shone through and the third title was his.

Standing in his way this season is last season’s Champion Hurdle third Oscar Whisky, who has yet to be tried over three miles but looks a horse with all the attributes to put it up to Big Buck’s.

He is a very strong traveller and jumps a hurdle in a style of a real top-class perfectionist; Nicky Henderson wouldn’t be going for this race if he didn’t think he was good enough to test Big Buck’s to the limit and he merits a lot of respect. Although the same vibes were being touted around the chances of Grands Crus this time last season, Oscar Whisky has far more speed than David Pipe’s charge and will be able to switch gears on a same level as Big Buck’s.

Many of the question marks surrounding his chances are whether he can stay an extra four furlongs than he has ever run over but judging by his win in the Aintree Hurdle last season this shouldn’t be a problem.

The race was run at a ferocious pace, more in the style of a three miler in fact, and Oscar Whisky had to be produced a long way from home but kept finding more under pressure and ended up running out a decisive winner. That was the perfect trial for a race like the World Hurdle and it is expecting for him to run Big Buck’s mighty close come the day. At the current prices Oscar Whisky rates as the each-way banker of the Festival.

It’s hard to make a case for many, if any, of the other runners set to line up as most have to find plenty in the book to even get near the market leaders but Mourad could out-run his gigantic odds and may run into the place money. He finished a well-beaten third last year but looks to have improved over the winter and could challenge the front two.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase market is dominated by last year’s winner Sizing Europe, who landed this event after winning the Arkle the previous season.

His preparations for a defence of crown couldn’t have gone more smoothly.

He bounced back from an unsuccessful step up to three miles behind Quito De La Roque in the JNwine.com Champion Chase to land the Sportingbet Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

There he looked completely in a different league to the others, who were led home by Kauto Stone, but was entitled to win according to official ratings.

He put in an arguably better performance next time out though when completely wiping the floor with his old rival and 2010 Champion Chase winner Big Zeb by 15 lengths in the Grade Two Boylesports.com Tied Cottage Chase.

His record at the Festival makes him a worthy favourite but anyone taking near odds-on surrounding his chances isn’t getting the greatest value for money.

• Pick up a free £50/€50 bet on the Queen Mother Champion Chase from Ladbrokes! Claim here!

Only one of the last 11 Champion Chase winners who attempted to defend their crown the following season has been successful, and that was the imperious Master Minded in 2009, and although he’s very good, Sizing Europe just isn’t in that class bracket.

Taking on a short-priced favourite is one of the best ways of racking up a consistent profit in horse racing punting and getting Henry De Bromhead’s star beat at his short price looks to be a viable option.

So, the question is who has the ability to turn over a horse of this class? Well, in truth classy opponents are very thin on the ground but Finian’s Rainbow for Nicky Henderson rates as the most likely.

Still very unexposed because of his lightly raced profile, the nine-year-old finished second in the Arkle Chase last season behind Captain Chris, which was his first defeat over fences.

It won’t win many prizes for originality but as a trial for the Queen Mother Chase, the Arkle is seen as the perfect prep for the championship event. Ten of the last twelve Arkle winners finished either first or second in the following year’s Champion Chase, and with Captain Chris is going for the Gold Cup, Finian’s Rainbow is the next in line to keep up that fruitful statistic.

On the subject of last year’s Arkle Chase, the race itself is looking like one of the best renewals for a while. Not only was it run in a quicker time than last year’s Champion Chase it has also produced some strong form-lines which only bode well for Finians Rainbow’s chances.

Third-placed Realt Dubh went on to win the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, while fourth home Medermit has run with plenty of credit this season, finishing second behind the classy Riverside Theatre and running well in various handicaps also.

The Michael Buckley-owned gelding himself has performed admirably this season, winning the Grade Two williamhill.com Desert Orchid Chase before having his colours lowered slightly behind Somersby in the The Victor Chandler Chase. It is thought returning to Cheltenham that form will be reversed.

Many feel that that race came far too soon after his previous win, just 27 days, and his record suggests that he is best when fresh – something that he will be at Cheltenham. Although not renowned a prolific finisher of his races, Finian’s Rainbow does possess a lot of ability at his fences and therefore should put a lot of pressure on his rivals. You can guarantee he will be there with two to jump it’s just a case of whether he will stay up the famous Cheltenham hill or not.

With the age group below taking on the Arkle Chase looking like a real top-class bunch, this looks to be Henderson’s runner best chance of landing a championship race. As you can guarantee the Arkle winner from this year will go very close in the following year’s Champion Chase.

The main question regarding the Champion Hurdle has not been about which horse will triumph but how far Hurricane Fly will win by.

Willie Mullins’ imperious hurdler is likely to be many people’s banker for the Festival as he bids to become the first horse since Hardy Eustace in 2005 to win back-to-back Champion Hurdles.

On his reappearance this season there were doubts regarding whether Mullins’ superstar might be as good as he had been. But he showed in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle, that he just might be better than ever.

There doesn’t really seem much substance in whether to take any short ante-post prices regarding his chances as judging by previous years the hardest part with winning races with Hurricane Fly is actually getting him to the race in first place.

Mullins has twice had to withdraw him from the Champion Hurdle after he sustained various injuries in the lead up to both races. Last season was third time lucky and he hit the jackpot.

• Pick up a free £100/€100 bet on the Champion Hurdle with Paddy Power here!

In truth Hurricane Fly, baring no hiccups in his build-up, is probably the banker of the Festival and his price, if staying around the even money mark on the day, will prove very hard to resist. There is, however, another two-places to fill for each-way punters and there are a couple that standout at the current prices available.

The standout being the odds surrounding the chances of Paul Nicholls’ Rock On Ruby.

You can never undervalue the importance of Cheltenham form when assessing a horse’s chances and Rock On Ruby has plenty of that in his favour following last year’s last gasp defeat in the Neptune at the hands of First Lieutenant, who has gone onto frank that form as a chaser this year.

Hurdling has been the name of the game for Nicholls’ gutsy performer this season and he put up a real top class-performance on his reappearance that has seemingly gone un-noticed by many people. His victory off 11st 10lb the Gerry Feilden at Newbury’s Hennessy meeting was stunning, especially with the horses in behind going on to bigger and better things next time out, most notably Raya Star winning the Ladbroke Hurdle.

Rock On Ruby then went down in a driving finish in the Christmas Hurdle to former Champion Hurdle winner Binocular, but that form has again been franked with Binocular winning easily in the Kingwood Hurdle at Wincanton. There seems to be a big gap between the prices of Rock On Ruby and Nicholls’ so called first string Zarkandar, but on the basis of both their runs ahead of Raya Star there is a case to suggest Rock On Ruby would actually beat Zarkandar off level weights.

Rock On Ruby beat Raya Star by ten and half lengths at Newbury whilst Zarkandar was could only do the job by two lengths in the Betfair Hurdle. The form book suggests that if the two Nicholls horses met off level weights in the Champion then Rock On Ruby has at least 5lbs in hand on his rival, yet there seems to be at least six points difference between them in price. He rates as the perfect each-way alternative to Hurricane Fly.

There seems to be big doubts about the two Nicky Henderson runners, with Grandouet unlikely to be suited by the strongly run nature of a Champion Hurdle, while you never seem to know which Binocular is going to show up.

There isn’t any doubts regarding the consistency of Donald McCain’s Overturn and he rates as a decent bet to run into the frame at Cheltenham if he can dictate things from the front. The versatile hurdler has had a nice break since winning two Grade Ones earlier this season and should be hard to keep out of the frame if in tip-top condition.

Nicky Henderson received a further boost to his Cheltenham Festival squad after Riverside Theatre landed the Betfair Ascot Chase.

His impressive victory was made all the more exhilarating with the fact that this was his first race since returning from a year-long absence because of a pelvic injury. And he ran like he had never been away.

Jockey Barry Geraghty took the lead on Riverside Theatre down the back straight, powerfully seeing off first the challenged of Kauto Stone and then Medermit. The latter did stay-on doggedly in behind but Riverside Theatre wasn’t for catching as he landed the odds by three lengths.

After winning this very race last year Henderson had to scratch him from the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival due to the injury. However, considering the classy nature of his reappearance, a trip to Prestbury Park should be on the agenda this season.

When he came back in you couldn’t touch his head,” Henderson explained. “Even now you have to put a bridle on a special way. We thought he’d become a head shaker or something but three or four weeks later he seemed to have come out of it, but nobody knows what it was.

“A month ago I knew I wasn’t going to get a run in before this. But you’d have to say that he’s got to straight back to where he left off, without a flinch. He hasn’t had a racecourse gallop, we’ve done it all at home, and we were pretty sure he was ready.

Barry made a commitment quite a long way out – but he was straight enough to do that.

“They’ll be improvement but his jumping was great and it was a classy performance. We know where we’re going if we can be ok tomorrow.”

The hype machine has gone into overdrive for this season’s renewal of the Racing Post Arkle Chase and it’s easy to why.

It seems as the novice generation of chasers, most notably Sprinter Sacre, Peddlers Cross and Al Ferof, are an extremely talented bunch, so much so the market leaders would probably be a force to reckon with against their elders in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Even if their handlers decided to switch them back to hurdling they would merit respect in the Champion Hurdle, even against the imperious Hurricane Fly.

But as the saying goes, trainers know best and they are playing a slow game with their talented runners. They hope the game will end in either Queen Mother Champion Chase or Cheltenham Gold Cup glory in Festival’s to come. But for now they are concentrating on the two-mile showpiece for novice chasers.

The clear market leader for the race is the Nicky Henderson-trained Sprinter Sacre.

Sprinter Sacre has had all his rivals quivering in their boots this season since switching from hurdles to fences. He was always regarded highly by Henderson, but not even he could have envisaged what the six-year-old has achieved thus fat over the timber, and the style which he has done it in.

He backed up a stunning debut win at Doncaster in a novice chase with a monstrous demolition job of last year’s Champion Hurdle second Peddlers Cross at Kempton in the Grade Two williamhill.com Novices’ Chase (Registered As The Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase). Spring-heeled at his fences, Henderson’s charge had a very high-class horse off the bridle a long way out and sped away by 16 lengths in sumptuous fashion. His jumping again sparkled in the Grade Two Betfair Super Saturday Chase at Newbury, where he broke the course record despite being on the bridle.

However, his Cheltenham success is far from sewn up, despite the confidence behind him in the market.

Stunning as he may have looked in his three chase races thus far, he hasn’t had to show how strong his third, fourth and fifth gear is yet.

His second and first is exceptional, granted, but in his career over hurdles the only time he was beat when he had to come off the bridle, firstly at Ascot behind Frascati Park and then in last year’s Supreme Novices Hurdle, where he travelled and jumped better than any other horse but was outstayed up the Cheltenham hill and could only finish third.

It’s the horse that beat him at Cheltenham, Al Ferof, which should give the favourite most to think about.

Paul Nicholls’ charge is unbeaten in novice company over fences, although he has been nowhere near as impressive visually as Sprinter Sacre. This shouldn’t put you off backing him for the Arkle, however, as Cheltenham is a place where course winners are to be highly respected. He also arguably brings the strongest novice form to the table from this season as he was only beaten five lengths by the 166-rated Somersby in the Victor Chandler Chase when tackling open company for the first time.

Although Peddlers Cross was firmly put in his place by Sprinter Sacre, he is a much better performer at a stiff-track like Cheltenham – highlighted by his win in the 2010 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle and a gallant second behind Hurricane Fly in last year’s Champion Hurdle. Don’t be surprised if he reverses that Kempton form with the ante-post favourite.

Such is the class of this crop of youngsters the eventual winner of the race should go on to bigger and better things in the future.

Taking a price on the winner, who we think could be Al Ferof, to come back next season and win the Queen Mother Champion Chase looks a bet many shrewd punters will dabble with.

Ante-post Grand National favourite Junior will use the Cheltenham Gold Cup as his prep-race for the Aintree showpiece.

David Pipe’s well regarded chaser, who won the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Cup at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, had his first run of the season at Newbury last weekend. The conditions of that hurdle race were never likely to play to his strengths of the horse but he still ran a nice race to finish eighth.

Staying chases are more Junior’s game however, and the Gold Cup looks an ideal chance for Pipe’s runner to not only use it as prep but also maybe challenge for place money. Miinnehoma, who was trained by his father Martin, took the same route in 1994 on his way to landing that year’s Grand National.

“Everything leads to the Grand National. But we’re hoping to give him a run before and that will be in the Grimthorpe at Doncaster, the JLT Specialty Chase or the Gold Cup,” Pipe said.

“The Gold Cup has been a good trial for the National and there is another week between Cheltenham and Aintree this year. He was very impressive at Cheltenham last year when winning the Kim Muir.

“Unfortunately, he went up a lot for that and is now rated 153. He’s a real character but has done extremely well on the Flat and over hurdles and fences. The Newbury run will have blown the cobwebs out and hopefully we can take him to Cheltenham for one of the two races there. He will obviously be a big price in the Gold Cup but he stays all day and they always go at a good pace. He loves Cheltenham.”

Pipe also revealed that he is no closer to deciding on whether Grands Crus will join his stablemate in the Gold Cup or go for the RSA Chase.

He added: “We won’t decide which race to go for at Cheltenham until closer to the time. We have to see what is left in the races and ground conditions. He’s keen on the gallops and we are keeping him fit. Gerry Supple worked him this morning on the gallops and he worked well.”

Jockey Sam Waley-Cohen has revealed Long Run’s victory in the Grade Two Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury will act as a confidence booster for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The seven-year-old had to give weight-all-round in the Newbury feature, which had to rearranged from the previous Saturday to the following Friday by sponsors Betfair, but probably jumped the best he has since his win in last year’s Gold Cup. He was struggling by the finish line as stablemate Burton Port got to within half a length but trainer Nicky Henderson was pleased with the run as was his jockey.

“That was what we came here to do,” Waley-Cohen said.

“I was really pleased with his jumping. He was a little careless with the water, but other than that from that he’s jumped really well. You couldn’t ask for more from a seasoned chaser.

“That is exactly the confidence boost you want to go to the Gold Cup with. We took the earplugs out [the horse had run in them before but they were removed just before the start of the race] – I’m not sure that made a big difference. In a funny way, he felt like a different horse altogether today. In the paddock he was more alert and looking more up for it and he’s just gone out there and done it really well.

“We went a right good gallop and didn’t get his jumping flat or careless. If anything, I think we’ve learnt how to set him up for a fence when you are going that bit quicker.”

Long Run had been beaten twice this season by the rejuvenated Kauto Star, first in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and then the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park. The pair are set to renew their rivalry at Cheltenham with Long Run just edging favouritism over the two-time former Gold Cup winner.

Long Run’s owner Robert Waley Cohen is in no doubt what horses will fill the first two places in the hotly anticipated race.

“On that performance, I’d have to say that it’s Kauto Star and Long Run who are going to be battling it out up that hill at Cheltenham.”