Constitution Hill returns to the Cheltenham Festival for the first time in two years hoping to recapture his Champion Hurdle crown.

The 2023 victor missed last year's fixture due to illness but remains unbeaten over obstacles and is the odds-on favourite for the Unibet-sponsored highlight.

He faces 2024 Champion Hurdle winner State Man, who was second in 2023, and the exciting mare Brighterdaysahead in the seven runner race.

Elsewhere will aim to get his team and punters off to a flying start in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, for which Kopek Des Bordes is the hot favourite.

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NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 ROMEO COOLIO, 2 KOPEK DES BORDES, 3 WILLIAM MUNNY
ROMEO COOLIO gets the vote to better his second in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper of 12 months ago.

Gordon Elliott gave the son of Kayf Tara his hurdles debut at Down Royal in November, and Romeo Coolio justified odds of 2-13 by 18 lengths from Ivybrook.

On the strength of that victory, my selection was sent off the 1-2 market leader for the Grade 2 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse at the beginning of December.

This time, things didn’t go to plan, as Romeo Coolio came with a challenge at the second-last flight, only to find Tounsivator two and a half lengths too strong in the finish.

But normal service was resumed in the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown two days after .

The 7-4 market leader in a field of seven, Sam Ewing’s mount - Jack Kennedy is in the plate after returning from injury last week - galloped through the fog to hold stablemate Bleu De Vassy by nine lengths.

There is plenty of progress still to come from this most likeable six-year-old, who can give his stable, successful with the enigmatic Labaik in 2017, a second win in the meeting’s curtain-raiser.

Favourite Kopek Des Bordes impressed at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival and isn’t passed over lightly, while Workahead and William Munny should show to the fore in a strong race for the Irish.

NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 L’EAU DU SUD, 2 MAJBOROUGH, 3 JANGO BAIE
L’EAU DU SUD is 4-4 over fences and is the selection to defend his unbeaten record in the sphere.

The grey son of Lord Du Sud, a two-time winner over hurdles in his native France, has taken his form to a new level since being sent novice chasing this winter.

Starting off under top weight in a handicap chase at Stratford on Hallowe’en, Harry Skelton’s partner thrashed No Risk Des Flos by 10 lengths.

L’Eau Du Sud put up a particularly taking effort in the Grade 2 Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial over this course and distance in November - he moved with menace and jumped with panache en route to beating Western Zephyr by 11 lengths - and duly lived up to 10-11 favouritism in the top-level Henry VIII Novices’ Chase on Sandown Park’s Tingle Creek Chase undercard.

On the back of that three-and-three-quarter-length margin from Touch Me Not , the seven-year-old defied a 5lb penalty to hold Rubaud by a length in the Grade 2 Kingmaker Novices’ Chase at Warwick last time out.

His course knowledge makes L’Eau Du Sud the value call against hot favourite Majborough , impressive in both outings over fences since landing the 2024 Triumph Hurdle, with Jango Baie preferred to Only By Night for the bronze medal.

NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 MALINA GIRL, 2 WHISTLE STOP TOUR, 3 KATATE DORI
MALINA GIRL has a win at Cheltenham on her CV and looks to have been targeted at this race. The success came in the extended three-mile, three-furlong handicap chase at the November fixture in 2023, when Gavin Cromwell’s mare scored by 10 lengths.

And Malina Girl was moving ominously well when falling three out back at jump racing’s home the following month as victory went to Broadway Boy.

My selection didn’t shine on her return to action in a Grade 2 chase for mares at Fairyhouse on ’s Day, coming home a well-beaten third of four finishers behind Allegorie De Vassy.

But there was more to like about Malina Girl’s second, beaten a length and three-quarters, behind Don’t Rightly Know in a Listed contest for her gender at Exeter last month.

A handicap mark of 142 looks within range for Keith Donoghue’s mount - her win here came from 7lb lower - and with all types of playing surface coming alike she is expected to give a good account.

The first of the fixture’s handicaps is a race of myriad possible outcomes but Lucinda Russell’s pair Whistle Stop Tour and Myretown are worth their place on the shortlist, along with the going-places Katate Dori.

NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 JADE DE GRUGY, 2 LOSSIEMOUTH, 3 DYSART ENOS
JADE DE GRUGY is capable of ensuring her Willie Mullins stable-companion, hot favourite and defending champion, Lossiemouth, does not have things all her own way.

The negative is that the only defeat of her career came when Jade De Grugy came home a below-expectations fourth to Golden Ace in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle 12 months ago.

But even the founding member of Paul Townend’s fan club would concede that ride was not the best of the jockey’s stellar career.

Jade De Grugy, impressive at Leopardstown and Fairyhouse before her Cheltenham reverse, was back in business with a Grade 1 victory at Fairyhouse at the end of March.

And she dusted off the cobwebs from a 326-day lay-off with a six-length dismissal of Mousey Brown in the Grade 3 Quevega Mares Hurdle at Punchestown and Danny Mullins’ partner is a long way from the bottom of the barrel.

Lossiemouth won this race with authority in 2024 and, despite completing a less-than-ideal Festival build-up with a heavy fall at Leopardstown last time, she is feared most, ahead of the up-in-grade Joyeuse and, at bigger odds, Dysart Enos.

NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 CONSTITUTION HILL, 2 BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD, 3 STATE MAN
CONSTITUTION HILL is a confident choice to win his 11th race from as many attempts and regain the crown he won in such decisive fashion two years ago.

A nine-length dismissal of State Man in the 2023 Champion Hurdle confirmed Constitution Hill, a stunning 22-length Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victor 12 months earlier, to be on the verge of National Hunt greatness.

After more than one bump in the road, Nicky Henderson’s eight-year-old is expected to take his place in jump racing’s Pantheon today.

On the back of his Champion Hurdle success, Constitution Hill stepped up to two and a half miles to beat Sharjah for the Aintree Hurdle, and opened his account for last season with a humbling of Rubaud in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park the following December.

Then began a year of upheaval - a bug forced Constitution Hill to miss his title defence, he was admitted to equine hospital with colic and a bruised foot delayed his return to action this winter. But reports of his demise have proved premature.

On Day - he had been off course for 366 days - Constitution Hill and Nico De Boinville registered a Christmas Hurdle hat-trick by two and a half lengths from Lossiemouth.

He then shrugged off a final-flight blunder, and a Grade 1 penalty, for a three-length humbling of Brentford Hope in the International Hurdle on Cheltenham’s Trials Day card in January and is ready to get his title back.

Brighterdaysahead has improved in leaps and bounds this term and rates the main threat, with State Man, behind Gordon Elliott’s mare on two occasions before returning to winning form with a third Irish Champion Hurdle, next best.

NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 TERIFERMA, 2 TOTAL LOOK, 3 LIAM SWAGGER

TERIFERMA shouldn’t be underestimated in his bid to give rising star trainer Jack Jones a first triumph.

The four-year-old son of Territories won two hurdle races for Joseph O’Brien before making a switch to Newmarket.

Jones gave Teriferma his stable debut in a juvenile event at Cheltenham 11 days before Christmas, and Sean Bowen’s mount caught Quantock Hills on the line for a share of the spoils.

My selection returned to the home of jump racing for a Grade 2 trial for the Triumph Hurdle at the end of January, going off at 16-1 and came home a 31-length fourth behind East India Dock.

Soft ground almost certainly worked against Teriferma that afternoon, however and, back on a faster surface after a dry build-up to the meeting, he can find the progress needed to go past a handicap mark of 126.

A handicap for a full field of 22 youngsters always makes for a headscratcher, so a long shortlist includes Total Look, Liam Swagger, Murcia and Hot Fuss.

NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 HASTHING, 2 TRANSMISSION, 3 HERAKLES WESTWOOD
HASTHING is a progressive chaser who is taken to thrive for his first try beyond three miles.

After landing two of his four starts over hurdles, the eight-year-old, trained in tandem by Jonjo and AJ O’Neill, followed a fourth at Chepstow on his chasing debut with twin handicap successes at Windsor either side of the turn of the year.

Hasthing came up short in his hat-trick bid over three miles at Ascot last time with a fourth to Victtorino.

But that was a decent effort - the winner is an improving performer who goes well at the King’s racecourse - and Jonjo O’Neill jnr’s mount stayed on well to be beaten just under five lengths at the line.

He races from an unchanged British Horseracing Authority mark of 133 and, if the extra yardage does trigger further progress, Hasthing can reward each-way support - at the very least.

Haiti Couleurs, Transmission and, at bigger prices, Herakles Westwood are four horses capable of having a say as Tuesday’s proceedings draw to a close.