Catching Pigeons preview of Cheltenham Festival Day One

Buveur d'Air is the best bet to see off his well-fancied stablemate Brain Power and land a sixth Stan James Champion Hurdle for Nicky Henderson at the Festival on Tuesday.

The Seven Barrows trainer has produced many high-class feats of training in the race for the Hurdlers' title over the years, both in victory and defeat, and success for either of his two main fancies - or even his each-way hope My Tent Or Yours - will not have been achieved without their fair share of challenges.

Buveur d'Air was one of the very best novices last season, finishing an unlucky third (probably should have been second) to his brilliant stablemate Altior in an outstanding Skybet Supreme Novices' Hurdle 12 months ago before beating the subsequent Irish Champion Hurdle winner Petit Mouchoir at Aintree, but he started this season going over fences.

Although he won both outings, the groundswell of opinion at Seven Barrows since the start of the campaign had been that he would be even more effective back over timber. It therefore came as no surprise to anyone at the famous Lambourn outpost, when he returned to the smaller obstacles with an impressive win at Sandown last month.

The feature of his hurdling is his quick ,slick jumping, and this should stand him in good stead against both Brain Power and Yanworth, Alan King's high-class performer. Both have been less fluent and are even prone to the odd mistake.

In contrast, the selection was very quick from A to B when he schooled under big-race partner Noel Fehily on Friday, and his work has been of a very high order for some weeks now.

Fehily ateams up with Neil Mulholland aboard The Druids Nephew in the Ultima Handicap Chase and he looks sure to want plenty of beating.

The winner of this race two years ago, his trainer has prepared him this term with this race very much at the forefront of his mind and has him in excellent shape to run another big race.

He is back on a very workable mark, gets a handy 8lb from leading Irish fancy Noble Endeavor, and is a fresh horse after just one outing this season.

At a decent price, High Bridge should go well for Alex Ferguson in a very open Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

The son of 1000 Guineas winner Ameerat, he was too slow to mature for the Flat, but has progressed steadily throughout his career, and has won three out of three over hurdles since joining Ben Pauling.

The evidence of his work with the very useful A Hare Breath last week should give him a sound each-way chance in what is a very open race.

Beware The Bear looks another solid each-way proposition in the JT McNamara National Hunt Challenge Cup Chase. This four-miler always presents a very tough test of stamina no matter what the ground, and Beware The Bear looks tailor-made for the challenge.

Unbeaten over fences this season, he seems able to keep up a relentless gallop, and his solid jumping will also stand him in good stead. He has been in good form after a three month break and will get plenty of assistance his partner Sam Waley-Cohen.

Whatever the fate of his Brain Power in the Champion, owner Michael Buckley will have a close eye on events taking place at Wolverhampton and Southwell where Jamie Osborne has plotted up a brace of possible All-Weather maiden wins for Hungarian Rhapsody at Southwell and Long John Silver at Wolverhampton.

Osborne, a former jump jockey supreme for those with a very long memory, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his first-day treble at the Festival, and two further famous wins aboard Remittance Man in the Queen Mother and Dusty Miller in the County Hurdle. Expect a hell of a party if all three Buckley horses prevail.