The talent on show, both equine and human, has the capacity to produce something magical at this weekend's Dublin Racing Festival

Nicky Henderson, Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton are coming out to play today

Form suggests that Clarence House chase is there for Il Etait Temps to lose rather than win, bu the Thistle Ask and Jonbon camps will be looking to spoil his party.

Racing in the UK has been run into the ground and everything we are doing here is a mirror of what happened there 15 years ago.

Limerick, Tramore, and Fairyhouse joined Leopardstown in seeing an increase in their crowds, and with all the doom and gloom that often surrounds the narrative of this sport, it was brilliant to see people voting with their feet.

After sharing the hopeful liftoff and bump back to Kempton reality with Paul Townend and Mark Walsh, we all turn our attentions to a mouthwatering few days ahead on this side of the water 

Ten National Hunt racing meetings will be run off in 250 minutes. Fire in some all-weather action at Wolverhampton too.

Kempton will be sold, and the history of the King George will disappear under 2,500 houses.

If you drive at speed and crash, your instinct is to slow down next time. The same applies to horses when they fall: their instinct of self-preservation prompts them to back off and slow down a bit.

The reshaped late-November programme is already bearing fruit, with Punchestown, Navan and Fairyhouse combining to launch the National Hunt season in style.