Overturn and Al Ferof could spring major first-day surprises

HURRICANE Fly should win the Champion Hurdle – but he offers no value to punters.

He’s the best horse in the field, but I think Willie Mullins fears he may have peaked in the Irish Champion a few weeks back.

It’s very difficult to keep a horse like this on the ball, he’s been a difficult one to train, and I think Overturn offers great each-way value for Donald McCain.

My stable jockey Graham Lee, sadly injured at the moment, rode him last year.

He says he would have rode the race differently and made more use of the horse by kicking on. They ran him as a pacemaker for Peddlers Cross who was second to Hurricane Fly, but he’s better than that.

This horse loves his work – he rarely runs a bad race and could be flying after a break.

I expect Mountbazon to win the opener for Alan King – his stable is bang in form and he has a great Cheltenham record. He’s a trainer to follow this week.

In the Arkle, all the attention has been on Sprinter Sacre, who is a brilliant horse – don’t get me wrong – but I think Al Ferof can spring a surprise.

I know a little bit about him, I bought him as a yearling – he’s by Dom Alco who saddled my Festival winner Naiad Du Misselot – and won his point to point in Ireland before we sold him to John Hales to be trained by Paul Nicholls.

Paul’s done a brilliant job with him, he won the Supreme last year and then ran him in the Grade One Victor Chandler at Ascot where he was third to Somersby. That experience will be vital in a race where they will be flat-out from the off. Sprinter Sacre is a fantastic horse but I feel he’s had two easy races.

I don’t accept he beat the course record at Newbury – the old time was set when they had standing starts. Now horses are galloping when the tapes go up. It’s not a fair comparison.

In the JLT, I like Quantitativeeasing for AP McCoy – the horse has a great record at the track – while Lucy Alexander has an each-way chance on my Riguez Dancer. It’s her first Festival ride, hopefully the first of many.

I used to work for Dawn Run’s trainer Paddy Mullins and his son Willie could have a great first day. As well as Hurricane Fly, I like Scotirish in the Cross-Country which his son Patrick rides and I can’t see anything stopping Quevega from winning a fourth Mares Hurdle with Ruby Walsh in the saddle.

In the final race, I saddle Going Wrong. We won the race last year with Divers and he’s one of my best chances of the week.

Davy Russell rides and will get on with the horse. We’ve had this race in mind for a long time, Triolo D’Alene and Hunt Ball are the ones to beat, but it will be grand to get the week off to a winning start.

Read Ferdy Murphy in the Yorkshire Post every day this week as the West Witton trainer shares his Cheltenham tips.

Ferdy’s horses to follow...

1.30: Montbazon (Jockey: Robert Thornton)

2.05: Al Ferof (Ruby Walsh)

2.40: Quantitativeeasing (AP McCoy)

2.40: Riguez Dancer (e/w) (Lucy Alexander)

3.20: Hurricane Fly (Ruby Walsh)

3.20: Overturn (e/w) (Jason Maguire)

4.00: Scotsirish (Patrick Mullins)

4.40: Quevega (Ruby Walsh)

5.15: Going Wrong (Davy Russell)