With less than a month to go before national hunt’s biggest racing festival gets underway at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham Festival betting markets are experiencing a flurry of last minute readjustments in rankings as results come in from the final rounds of preliminary races.

Nowhere is this more true than in the 2008 Champion Hurdle. The world’s most prestigious race over hurdles has been awash with speculation in recent weeks as several classy hurdlers have staked their claim to the 2008 Champion Hurdle title.

At the head of the list is surprise frontrunner Sizing Europe, who marched to the head of the 2008 Champion Hurdle odds tables with an imperious eight length win at the 2008 AIG Europe Champion Hurdle. Not only did he leave race favourites Al Eile and Hardy Eustace in the dust, but the race also ended with both horses injured and doubtful for the Cheltenham Festival.

Whilst the excellent 2008 Champion Hurdle odds offered on Sizing Europe may create the impression that the race is merely a formality, the truth is that Sizing Europe will face a stiff challenge from short odds challengers, including the powerful English hurdler Osana and the 2007 Triumph Hurdle winner Katchit.