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.

Cheltenham is turning out to be anything but a rotten meeting writes Enda McEvoy

Henry De Bromhead may have finished third in the day’s feature race, but the trainer’s first point of order when the 10 runners in the Queen Mother Champion Chase returned was to make for the losers’ area.

Paul Nicholls may no longer possess the firepower he once dominated the Cheltenham Festival, and entire British national hunt season.

This afternoon’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase could hardly be more puzzling for punters, the essential difficulty not in reading the form, but gauging/guessing the well-being of the market leaders, Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy.

There is nothing more exciting in National Hunt racing than watching high-class two-mile chasers in full flow.

Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy, the last two winners of the Mother Champion Chase, head a stellar field of 11 horses for the two-mile showpiece at Cheltenham tomorrow.

Well, at least reading the front-page story of the Racing Post on Tuesday, it seems that off-course bookmakers are literally trembling in their boots.

Gary Moore is confident Sire De Grugy will not give up his Queen Mother Champion Chase crown lightly after getting his season back on track in some style at Chepstow on Saturday.

John ’Shark’ Hanlon is looking forward to Hidden Cyclone taking on the best two-milers around in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

Two rides at Fairyhouse today and four at Punchestown tomorrow make up my weekend, says Ruby Walsh.

Gary Moore has conceded that Sire De Grugy is likely to be short of peak fitness when he makes his eagerly-awaited return in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on February 7.

Paul Nicholls believes there is even more to come from Dodging Bullets after he beat Sprinter Sacre and claimed his second Grade One of the season at Ascot.

Nicky Henderson reports Sprinter Sacre to be A1 following his comeback run in the Sodexo Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday.

Sprinter Sacre was found to be have suffered a small bleed after his comeback run in second in the Sodexo Clarence House Chase at Ascot today.

Willie Mullins has left Un De Sceaux in the Stan James Champion Hurdle alongside Hurricane Fly.

Willie Mullins plans to run Smashing in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday.

Ante-post favourite My Tent Of Yours will face 11 rivals in the William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham today.

Ante-post favourite My Tent Of Yours will face 11 rivals in the William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham today.

I’m hoping to win the King George at Kempton on Wednesday aboard Kauto Stone, but the more I’ve looked at the race the more convinced I’ve become that Long Run is going to be hard to beat.

Formlines from several races at the Cheltenham Festival could meet in the John Smith’s Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday.

All the leading fancies, including ante-post favourite Grumeti, are among the 32 remaining entries in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday.

Martin Keighley has been dealt a blow with the news Havingotascoobydo has been ruled out for the season through injury.