Trainer Harry Whittington is hopeful that leading Arkle chance Saint Calvados can deliver his team’s first ever Cheltenham Festival success this afternoon.
Whittington, based in Oxfordshire, has only been training for six years and is seeking a first winner in National Hunt’s blue-ribbon event this afternoon.
2018 has already been kind to the team at Hill Barn Stables with Vinnie Lewis landing the Sussex National in Lambourn, before the exceptional novice Saint Calvados earnt his ticket to Cheltenham with an impressive success in Warwick’s Kingmaker Novice Chase.
Whittington is set to unleash his best runners in the four-day meeting, and he hopes for a life-changing first Festival winner.
“At the end of the day, Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of our sport, the buzz of the festival, I haven’t missed a day in 20 years,” Whittington told ODDSChecker.
“Every time I go I dream of having a winner there and being able to walk in with my horse into that winners’ enclosure.
“I haven’t had the feeling yet, obviously. I imagine it’s better than sex.”
His strongest chance comes in the form of novice chaser Saint Calvados, unbeaten in three starts this season he is currently third favourite for the Arkle.
The five-year-old won impressively in two visits to Newbury, before then making a big impression to beat former Cheltenham Festival winner Diego Du Charmil in a Grade Two last time.
Although market rivals Footpad and Petit Mouchoir are strongly fancied for the second race of the Festival, Whittington is hoping Saint Calvados can deny the Irish pair.
“It’s frightening where we’ve got to in such a short space of time,” the Lambourn trainer added.
“Andrew Brooks (owner) told me the Arkle is the target and to work back from that.
“You couldn’t imagine he’d be that short for the Arkle, but he’s talented, we’ve always known that.
“It’s an unbelievable race, it could be the race of the festival. It’ll be a magnificent festival.
“It’s a bonus running in the Arkle and if he wins great. If he comes back in one piece then great. He’s got the world at his feet.”
Saint Calvados is currently priced at 3/1 for the Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase.
Elsewhere the team are represented with Bigmartre in Thursday’s JLT Novices’ Chase.
The seven-year-old has enjoyed a good season so far this year, winning handicap contests at Ludlow and Newbury before losing narrowly at Doncaster on his last appearance.
The novice takes a steep step up in class, but could run outrun his odds of 20/1 in the Grade One event.
Outsider Simply The Betts goes to the curtain raising Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham, and is currently priced at 40/1 for the two-mile race.
