It’s the weekend between the Irish Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, but it’s another busy and important one. I have three rides this afternoon at Fairyhouse, but it’s Douvan, in the Tied Cottage Chase tomorrow at Punchestown, who will be focus of most attention.

Mark Walsh is rapidly developing into one of the unsung heroes of Irish National Hunt racing.

Our writers debate Faugheen’s chances of regaining his title...

When Gigginstown’s Valseur Lido faded, rather dramatically, from the final fence in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown the general reaction was that he simply didn’t stay the three miles.

The long-absent Jezki will not make his reappearance at Punchestown today and will instead be targeted at the Irish Champion Hurdle on January 29.

From Champion Hurdle winner Annie Power to Arc heroine Found, it’s been a 12 months of evocative moments and unforgettable memories, both in National Hunt and on the Flat. Here are 16 of the best from 2016 from Darren Norris.

Willie Mullins is confident Annie Power will not be beaten for a lack of pace when she bids to make it third time lucky at the Cheltenham Festival in today’s Stan James Champion Hurdle.

Owner Nick Peacock is hopeful Arctic Fire can gain a deserved victory in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan tomorrow.

Connections of Jezki were happy enough with his run behind Hurricane Fly at Leopardstown on Sunday despite losing out to his old adversary for a fifth time.

Hurricane Fly and Jezki are again on a collision course for the BHP Insurances Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Willie Mullins is still on a high 24 hours after Hurricane Fly’s latest spine-tingling triumph at Leopardstown.

The talking is about to end and the meeting we have been waiting for since the start of the season,

Willie Mullins’ winning machine may have an enviable record but he is still pigeon-holed as the Robbie Keane of racing.

Champion jockey Tony McCoy expects Last Instalment to be in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup shake-up following his Irish Hennessy win.

Dessie Hughes is confident Our Conor will head to the Cheltenham Festival with a “fighting chance” of claiming Champion Hurdle glory after making Hurricane Fly pull out all the stops at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Hurricane Fly will have to put a late scare behind him when he bids to claim an historic fourth successive victory in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown tomorrow.

Tony Martin will decide next week whether Quick Jack will take his chance in the Boylesports.com Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 25.

Trainer Jessica Harrington has confirmed Jezki will tackle the brilliant Hurricane Fly for a second time in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 26.

Willie Mullins is convinced Hurricane Fly will improve by at least 5lb before the record-breaker bids to win the Champion Hurdle for a third time at Cheltenham in March.

Trainer Willie Mullins branded Hurricane Fly “a horse of a generation” after he claimed his 18th Grade One in a top-notch renewal of the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown yesterday.

Even by Ruby Walsh’s seriously high standards, this could only be described as an extraordinary ride.

Hurricane Fly won an extraordinary 18th Grade One race when superbly defending his title in a star-studded renewal of the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Hurricane Fly rewrote the history books when capturing the five-runner Stanjames.com Morgiana Hurdle at odds of 1/16 in Punchestown yesterday, the highlight of a superb day for champion trainer Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, who landed his first five-timer in Ireland.

Solwhit will build on his most encouraging return to action at Punchestown last month in Saturday’s Limestone Lad Hurdle at Naas.

Crowned champion-jockey for the first time last April, Davy Russell ended 2012 on a high when completing a double for Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud at Punchestown yesterday, highlighted by Bog Warrior’s emphatic defeat of long-absent Solwhit in the Follow Punchestown On Facebook Hurdle.

Hurricane Fly advanced his claims to regain his Cheltenham crown with a 13th Grade One triumph in the Istabraq Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Sir Des Champs could yet travel to Kempton to contest the William Hill King George VI Chase on St Stephen’s Day with trainer Willie Mullins describing his decision as to whether to run in that race or the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown as “a 50/50 call”.

Hurricane Fly landed a twelfth Grade 1 success and crowned a great day for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh when winning the Dobbins & Madigans Morgiana Hurdle in Punchestown yesterday.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Kissed romped to an impressive win in the listed Salsabil Stakes in Navan yesterday and, as a result, hardened to 5/1 for the Invetsec Oaks at Epsom.

Bookmakers are likely to be running for cover if the mighty Hurricane Fly can strike a blow for punters and successfully defend his crown in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham today.

It is time for all the talking to stop and the action to begin and as this week is all about winners, there appears to be no reason to desert Hurricane Fly in the Stan James Champion Hurdle.

Willie Mullins yesterday expressed his delight with Hurricane Fly as the crack two-miler builds towards the defence of his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham next month.

It was great to record a double at Leopardstown on Saturday, add another winner on Sunday and also have Oscars Well running such a brilliant race in the Irish Champion Hurdle, despite hating the ground.

LEXUS Chase hero Synchronised remains firmly on course for a return to Leopardstown and a crack at next month’s Hennessy Gold Cup.

HIDDEN CYCLONE will step up in class after making a winning debut over fences last week.

IT was an up and down week of racing for us. It was great to get back among the winners again after six or seven weeks and just draw a line under that.