Racing: Rooster to clip young pretenders' wings

It is the drama which makes the Cheltenham Festival and the drama which sometimes spoils it. Such was the turmoil in the Champion Hurdle 12 months ago today, when Istabraq's glittering career came to an end, as did Valiramix's life.

With the departure of the iconic Irish horse there comes a renaissance, an opportunity for one of several promising young animals in hurdling's championship to start a sequence of his own. Let us hope it is accomplished at the end of a hard but fair fight, with a degree more benevolence from the fates.

For the last four runnings of the Champion, the winner has been a previous Festival victor. There are four entrants today attempting to maintain the sequence, including last season's hero, Hors La Loi III. There remains a lingering sense though that James Fanshawe's gelding was the principal beneficiary of the bombs that went off around him last March. He puts the crown on once more today, but there is banging at the gates and several young pretenders at the head of the mob.

The brightest torch belongs to Rhinestone Cowboy, who has run just four times over hurdles but has created such an impression that he will start favourite to complete successfully his most stringent assignment.

Jonjo O'Neill's five-year-old is one of five Champion Hurdle entrants unbeaten this season, a quintet with 17 wins between them. His stablemate and second favourite Intersky Falcon is another major contributor with four victories.

Rhinestone Cowboy has been very easy on the eye this campaign, apparently winning without getting even slightly out of puff. Today he will certainly be breathless and we will discover how much he has been holding in reserve.

While three novices in Royal Gait, Alderbrook and Make A Stand have won the Champion in the last 10 years, each of those was an accomplished hurdler. The Cowboy is not as yet as proficient a vaulter and his jumping now has to stand up at full Grade One speed.

Getting over the obstacles is the forte of Intersky Falcon, who appears to get from one side to the other in a plume of smoke. The little chestnut will be skipping away at the front with some big names following his every move.

The 27-strong syndicate behind the horse is managed by Terry McDermott and includes Alan Shearer, who will be listening to commentary this afternoon in Italy as Newcastle prepare to take on Internazionale at the San Siro.

Like his stablemate, Intersky Falcon may also have mirrors to go with his smoke. Much of his form is also difficult to decipher and he too could be drawing in punters with the lure of false profit.

Rooster Booster is a little more transparent. His credentials have been built on a series of sober and dependable entries in the form book. The last one, at Sandown, was the least impressive, but the nature of the race diluted all the strengths of Philip Hobbs's horse. If this was a handicap, he would be the one giving weight away all round.

There are two other unbeaten tyros this season with their hats in the ring, one from Ireland, one from England, one who would prefer it soft, the other good ground. Like-A-Butterfly, the former, won the Supreme Novices' here 12 months ago and her odds will contract should substantial rain arrive. Flame Creek, the latter, would not mind if the race was run up the nearby M5. Noel Chance, his trainer, has gobbled up all the 66-1 about his horse, which will look all the more exciting in the event of clement weather.

Chance has isolated this race from some way out for Flame Creek, as has Landing Light's trainer, Nicky Henderson. The eight-year-old was fifth last year after a horrible run and is the each-way value as he has form with Rooster Booster.

However, in this Champion Hurdle, this great collision of young reputations, we need in the camp something more substantial than youthful promise. Several emerging talents will have their careers buckled at Prestbury Park this afternoon, between the time the roar goes up and then the whips are finally put down.

It is forecast to be a cloudy afternoon, a grey day, which should be appropriate as the Champion is about to receive its first winner of that hue since Kribensis in 1990. This is the time to put flashy things to one side and rely on the stalwart, rely on the best horse in the race. Rely on ROOSTER BOOSTER (nap 3.15).

HORSES THE BOOKIES FEAR

* Simon Clare of Coral Bookmakers said yesterday that "the big two we want to get beat" are Rhinestone Cowboy and Best Mate. "Whether those two win or not will determine how successful Cheltenham is for us this year," Clare said. "We took £1,000 each-way on Rhinestone Cowboy at 25-1 and £2,000 each-way at 14-1, but many bigger bets at shorter odds since. We've got heavy liabilities on Best Mate too, but we think he's worth taking on. We've just laid £10,000 at 6-4. If they finish in front we'll just have to pay up and look happy."

* If Rhinestone Cowboy wins, Tote Bookmakers will be down £200,000 on the Festival's first day, Jeremy Scott, a Tote spokesman, said yesterday. "We laid him at 33-1, at 16-1 including £1,000 twice, at 12-1 including £1,500 and £2,000, and all the way down to favouritism. He's in lots of doubles and trebles too. But the scale of the betting is fierce. We've just taken a £3,000 bet today on Landing Light at 16-1."

* A victory for Gathabawn folk hero Limestone Lad in Thursday's Stayers' Hurdle would be a nightmare for Paddy Power, Ireland's biggest bookmaker. The firm's Ciaran Burke said yesterday: "Everybody wants to back him. Dogs in the street are barking his name. Beef Or Salmon would also be bad for us in the Gold Cup. We started laying him at 40-1."