A potential mouthwatering clash between Identity Thief and Altior is a possibility in Sunday’s Racing Post Arkle Trophy Trial at Cheltenham.

To say Paul Carberry has had a colourful career is a massive understatement.

Reverting to hurdles after a successful campaign chasing, Colms Dream cruised to an easy, if narrow, victory in the Silks @ Down Royal Handicap Hurdle in Down Royal yesterday.

Cue Card will carry the hopes of Britain in today’s Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup as the 10-year-old seeks to crown a stunning season by landing a £1m (€1.3m) bonus.

Bryan Cooper is one of the top jockeys in national hunt racing. As a retained rider for Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, he has a very strong book of rides at next week’s Cheltenham Festival. 

Taquin Du Seuil has been supplemented for Thursday’s Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

I have a day off today, but there is National Hunt racing at Wexford and Willie’s only runner is Pont De Alma, in the bumper.

A difficult card awaits punters at Roscommon, but Bay Of Freedom can send patrons home happy by taking the closing race for trainer Peter Fahey.

Bookmakers face an "uphill struggle" to claw back the deficit in the betting ring battle after punters came out on top once more on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.

Liz Doyle will consider a tilt at the Champion Bumper for Golan Lodge following his winning racecourse debut at Fairyhouse on Saturday.

Emma Lavelle will consider a tilt at the Weatherbys Champion Bumper for See The World following his extraordinary performance at Wincanton on Thursday.

Philip Fenton has been forced to call time on the career of Dunguib after he pulled up lame in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham on Wednesday.

Connections of Kings Palace are confident Briar Hill will not have things all his own way in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham today.

Another day like that and the people behind this Prestbury Cup lark will be left with a considerable amount of Cotswold mud on their faces.

Philip Fenton, one of the quiet men of Irish racing, hasn’t half emerged with real credit over the last ten days or so.

Willie Mullins is keen to find out where Upazo ranks in his talented crop of novice hurdlers by letting him line up in the williamhill.com Levy Board Tolworth Hurdle at Kempton this afternoon.

We've had a wonderful week at Punchestown, with Jezki's victory in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle the obvious highlight, but it was also fantastic for Madam Bovary to win yesterday’s opening race.

I think today is my weakest book of rides of the week and will be delighted to get among the winners.

While racing wasn’t confirmed when I travelled over yesterday morning, we were fairly sure that it would go ahead.

Henry de Bromhead said it was “50-50” which race Sizing Europe will run in at Cheltenham after he was officially scratched from the Betfred Gold Cup.

Jezki, unbeaten over hurdles and favourite for the William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, is, reportedly, to be bought by JP McManus.

Patrick Mullins equalled the long-standing record for number of winners by an amateur jockey in a calendar year in Ireland when Union Dues provided him with his 72nd victory of 2012 at Navan.

David Pipe has urged racing’s rulers not to make a “knee-jerk” reaction to the deaths of Synchronised and According To Pete in the Grand National.

Seven Barrows is the place to be right now if you’re a horse, and it’s not a bad place to be as a guest of Nicky Henderson’s either.

EXCITING youngster Make Your Mark is likely to have another run at a lower level before connections decide whether he is a possible candidate for the big festivals in the spring.

DUNGUIB is reported to be progressing steadily on the road to returning to action next season.

IT’S the kind of line up that will have racing fans salivating at the bit: Big Zeb, Fame And Glory, Hurricane Fly, Quevega, Sizing Europe and So You Think all taking each other on for one title - Horse Racing Ireland’s Horse of the Year.

THE very consistent Coscorrig can keep the Dessie Hughes/Bryan Cooper bandwagon rolling along in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Mares Chase at Cork tonight.

CAPTAIN CHRIS is the nap choice to land the Ryanair Novice Chase at Punchestown this evening.

I WILL be most disappointed should Kauto Star fail to deliver in the Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown this evening.

SIREN’S SONG was a hot topic of discussion after last Sunday’s racing in Navan and I have to say she won the Salsabil Stakes very well. I said last week I thought she might be good and she certainly indicated that with a strong finish to win by a length and a half.

WHEN it comes to the Cheltenham Festival, the crescendo builds long before the first gun goes and that guttural roar that is released from the stands for the opening race at lunchtime.

Colin Tizzard reports Cue Card in “brilliant order” as he bids to get favourite backers off to the perfect start in the Stan James Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

SUCH was the turmoil of mayhem, madness and general swirling of Banners and Bodhrans in the old place that afternoon that you’re forgiven if you can’t recall what had happened a couple of hours earlier.

CUE CARD, winner of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper last season, heads 86 entries for the Stan James Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.