'It's going to be his biggest challenge so far' - top Triumph Hurdle fancies Burdett Road and Sir Gino clash

Cheltenham's opening contest may be absent from ITV's coverage but it is hardly lacking in star quality as the two market leaders for the Triumph Hurdle face off in a fascinating Grade 2 trial.

Saturday's winner will undoubtedly top the betting for the festival but the position is currently occupied by Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road, who has done nothing but shine since his switch to hurdles.

The four-year-old is unbeaten this term, most recently winning here in November, but even trainer James Owen readily admits this will be his toughest test as he takes on another promising rival in Sir Gino.

Owen said: "He was ready to go at Chepstow over Christmas but unfortunately the rain came and the ground was too heavy. Thankfully, everything has dropped into place for this race, though, and we're able to keep Harry [Cobden] on board, so we couldn't be happier.

"It's going to be his biggest challenge so far, but he goes there in great form and schooled well on Thursday. It's a brilliant race and whoever wins should go favourite for the festival. Hopefully, that will still be us. We're nervous but excited."

Nicky Henderson will certainly be hoping to be the one dominating the Triumph market on Saturday evening as Sir Gino steps into Graded company on just his third start. He cruised to a wide-margin success on his British debut at Kempton over Christmas.

Sir Gino: best-priced 6-1 for the Triumph HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

The resulting penalty for his 14-length win means the French recruit meets Burdett Road on equal weights, with James Bowen stepping in to deputise for the sidelined Nico de Boinville.

"He was very good at Kempton but I hope he's sharpened up his jumping because he was a little bit green as much as anything else," Henderson said.

"You hope he's learned from that and this will be very interesting as I have a lot of respect for Burdett Road, but we've got to run somewhere and there is no other option, although he does have a big penalty for not doing much at all."

Sir Gino and Burdett Road rightly dominate the market for this 2m1f contest and their rivals will have to produce something special to upset the odds.

While all five are maiden runners, the task is even tougher for the Patrick Neville-trained Cosmic Soul, who is thrown into the deep end for his first start over hurdles.

"He's lovely and we've been looking for some nice ground to start him off, so that's why we're going to Cheltenham first time with him," Neville said. "It's a starting point and he'll be a nice horse going forward."

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