Lining up the Favourites for the 2017 Cheltenham Festival"

As the 2017 Cheltenham Festival approaches, here is a look at the top horses that are likely to make an impact at the event.

The National Hunt scene is starting to get warmed up and a potential star seems to be in the making especially with regard to IDENTITY THIEF. The world got to see six-year-old – trained at the Henry de Bromhead – at Punchestown on Saturday. He was backed at 2-11 for the Download The Betdaq App Beginners’ Chase event, but it was always going to be a simple affair.

However, this event was largely a measure of the jumping ability. Few would have expected Identity Thief to pass the test with flying colours and almost mimic a seasoned professional with incredible accuracy and ability.

Identity Thief came to prominence at the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in 2015. In this race, he managed to finish 10 lengths ahead of Melbourne Cup favourite and Irish St Leger winner Wicklow Brave. The hurdling campaign last season concluded with a narrow defeat – by length and a half – by Vroum Vroum Mag. It was the Betdaq Punchestown Champion Hurdle event and competition was so intense that Champion hurdle runner-up My Tent Or Yours only managed to come third.

It is clear that Identity Thief has all the attributes of being a classy hurdler after being groomed as an embryo chaser. The ease with which he has taken to the fences are a real surprise. The upcoming Arkle Challenge Trophy sees Identity Thief backed at 10/1, and these seem like excellent odds for a horse expert at jumping fences than hurdles. Backing this bet seems like a great decision as several more fence events are lined up in December.

Saturday’s event at Cheltenham saw a top performance from Sceau Royal, as he dominated the Mastersons Holding Hurdle event. It ended up being an 11 length win over Leoncavallo. The Champion Hurdle is coming up and many bookmakers have backed the young hurdler of Alan King at 16/1, which are seen as absurd odds considering that there is a lot of competition from the likes of Annie Power, Faugheen, and Apples Jade. If Sceau Royal was to enter into Cheltenham races in March, there could be a bigger price on offer.

The Randox Health Handicap Chase witnessed an excellent performance from Fox Norton, who managed to take the victory with an 11 length margin from Sizing Platinum. There is every possibility that Fox Norton could do well in March and bookmakers offer great prices, but it is still quite a long way away to judge.

The 188Bet Monet’s Garden Old Roan Handicap Chase at Aintree on Sunday was one of the top events and Third Intention managed to claim a victory from the clutches of Colin Tizzard. Vibrato Valtat and God’s Own managed to be quite successful in the Grade 1, while Smad Place – after managing to win the Hennessy last year – came in at fourth over the distance of 2 ½ miles. Royal Regatta and Sire De Grugy completed the line-up. They would struggle to succeed at the grand stage, where the entire focus is.

Robin Roe is a potential star from the 188 Maiden Hurdle, as he cruised to a 12 length victory over No Comment. We will know more about him if he turns in the incredible Challow Hurdlet at Newbury - in early December.

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