Dunguib in Supreme form

ANTE-post punters hope to hit the ground running at the Cheltenham Festival after lumping a welter of cash on Dunguib to win the first event of the four-day jumps showpiece next month.

Philip Fenton's stable star looked a special talent when winning at Leopardstown on Sunday and the even money price offered by Ladbrokes for him to win the Festival opener, the Spinal Research Supreme Novices' Hurdle, was snapped up yesterday, forcing the price into 4-5.

David Williams of Ladbrokes said: "Everyone had plenty of time to get on at Evens but we are now full to the brim with Dunguib in our book and the dam has burst.

"The opening race will set the entire tone for the rest of the Festival. We took a strong view after Leopardstown and now have a month to wait to learn our fate."

Fenton said Dunguib is "sound as a pound" after his latest demolition job in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, and the trainer reported his hurdler will now have ten days' rest before his Cheltenham preparation begins.

Despite knocking a few hurdles flat in the Grade One heat, the seven-year-old does not have a scratch on him.

"He might have hit nearly every hurdle yesterday but he's absolutely fine which is the main thing, there's not a scratch on him and he's sound as a pound," said Fenton. "The fastest he was going in the race, the final hurdle, was the best he jumped so we'll just have to hope the fast pace at Cheltenham will improve his jumping.

"Brian (O'Connell] gave him a great ride, he was very cool on him. It was so important he didn't have a hard race yesterday. I didn't want him in the firing line in the back straight and getting there too soon; it was ideal though, other than his jumping."

Rival trainer Nicky Henderson admitted he is not relishing the prospect of trying to lower the colours of the mighty Dunguib at Cheltenham.

Lambourn trainer Henderson is keen on his Bellvano and Oscar Whisky but rates Dunguib as "frightening". He said: "We'll see how Bellvano and Oscar Whisky work in the morning and take it from there. They are both trying to get ready to tackle Dunguib, but I can't say I liked what I saw yesterday – he was pretty frightening.

"In a normal year I'd think I had two of the best novices and I'd be fancying my chances. There is no point in ducking him (Dunguib) at Cheltenham, but I think a lot of people might do. Oscar Whisky and Bellvano are very professional and they know what they are up to, but as far as Dunguib is concerned there doesn't seem to be a chink. I'm not going to be frightened away by him, but I'm certainly frightened of him."

Meanwhile, Blue Nymph, John Quinn's JCB Triumph Hurdle hope, takes the next step up the ladder at Market Rasen today.

The four-year-old filly made a superb start to her jumps career when landing a tight novices' hurdle at Doncaster at the end of January. Although she was under consideration for Sunday's Scottish Triumph Hurdle at Musselburgh, Blue Nymph will instead run in the racinguk.com Juvenile Novices' Hurdle at the Lincolnshire venue.

North Yorkshire-based Quinn said: "We were thinking about running her at Musselburgh, but the track would have been tight enough for her. Market Rasen will be absolutely fine."