IT'S the King against the Master at the Cheltenham Festival today.

Kalahari King, trained by Ferdy Murphy at West Witton, flies the flag for North Yorkshire in the feature Grade 1 Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase at Prestbury Park – and he is going to have to beat the reigning champion if he is to take the spoils.

Standing in the way is Master Minded, the back-to-back Champion Chase winner, and a horse who looked right back to his best at Newbury last month.

The bookies have already made up their minds, with Master Minded quoted at 5-6 to become only the second horse to win the race three times.

But money has come for Murphy's nine-year-old in the last week – with his odds being trimmed from 6-1 to 9-2.

And while Master Minded is the clear form pick, Kalahari King can also boast some impressive displays.

Second in the Arkle last year to Forpadydeplasterer, who is also in the line-up today, Murphy's gelding then won comfortably at Aintree.

His win at Doncaster in February, on ground that was unsuitable, carrying top weight, and with the horse not fully wound-up after the winter weather wrecked preparations at West Witton, has his trainer believing there's no reason why he can't be in the frame.

Murphy also reckons the drying ground at Cheltenham will prove a plus for Kalahari King, arguing it's “very much in his favour”.

His focus is not entirely on Master Minded either, with Twist Magic – a horse that slammed Kalahari King by ten lengths at Sandown last April but who has always failed to deliver the goods at the Festival – also looming large.

Murphy believes today's Champion Chase could be “one of the stiffest challenges Master Minded has faced”.

It's also a big day for Norton trainer Brian Ellison, who saddles Bothy in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle.

The four-year-old, a best-priced 14-1 with the bookies, comes to Cheltenham unbeaten in three appearances over hurdles and is the Spring Cottage Stables handler's best chance of breaking his Festival duck.

While his form and ability are more exposed than some of his rivals because of those runs, Ellison insists Bothy, is “in great form” and has a “sporting chance”.

“I couldn't be happier with him,” he said.

While Bothy grabs North Yorkshire's attention in the Fred Winter, the county has two other representatives in the Grade 3 contest.

Bocamix represents Leyburn's Andy Crook, who has a third place in a Grade 1 contest at Chepstow in his form, and Kudu Country is saddled by Tadcaster-based Tom Tate.

Elsewhere on the second day of the Festival, Murphy saddles Poker de Sivola in the opening 140th Year Of The National Hunt Challenge Cup - instead of the Kim Muir Falke Wulwyn Challenge Cup in which he ran last year.

He also runs Naiad du Misselot in the Grade 3 Coral Cup and says the nine-year-old, who was pulled up in the Jewson at last year's Festival, is “flying” at home.

Aside from the Champion Chase, the Grade One RSA Chase forms the other major highlight of day two at Cheltenham and an intriguing contest between Punchestowns, Long Run and Diamond Harry will surely capture punters' attention.