Was it a good day or a bad day at Cheltenham?

After the Clare-Limerick match last Sunday, I slipped back across the border for a Cheltenham Preview night at the Na Piarsaigh clubhouse in Caherdavin.

Grand National-winning owner Michael O’Leary turns his attention on April 28 to selling 50 of his pedigree Angus cattle, writes Denis Lehane.

Noel Meade admits he is concerned about the ground for Road To Riches ahead of his run in tomorrow's Guinness Kerry National at Listowel.

Jockey Aubrey McMahon beat the cyberbullies by winning the biggest horse race of his life on the opening day of the Galway festival.

The acute pangs for the Cotswolds began early yesterday. To unload the frustration, I tapped on my phone and screamed as loud as I could on Twitter. ‘I hate, hate anyone heading to Cheltenham today’.

For a number of years now the Irish Gold Cup has become increasingly irrelevant as a Cheltenham trial and this renewal is more notable for those that are missing, rather than those who are running, writes Pat Keane.

It is less than nine years since Gordon Elliot burst on to the training scene when claiming Grand National glory with Silver Birch. Wind the clock forward to March 2016, and Elliott has sent out over 120 winners in Britain and Ireland combined this season — and brings a formidable team of around 25 horses from his impressive Cullentra base to Cheltenham...

Former Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Sir Des Champs made a successful return to action after 691 days on the sidelines, when delivered with a well-timed challenge to land the Listed Boomerang Horse & Country Store Chase yesterday afternoon at Thurles.

Brian Linehan is riding with terrific confidence at present and, fresh from his success aboard Hardtorock at Dawstown on bank holiday Monday, the Fermoy amateur partnered the third double of his career at the County Limerick Hunt point-to-point fixture at Athlacca on Saturday.

Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh will be reunited when Tidal Bay tackles the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday.

There was an extraordinary reaction from the public to yesterday’s meeting at Limerick, held to boost the Emergency Jockeys’ Fund and the stricken John Thomas McNamara and Jonjo Bright.

There was some competitive fare on offer at yesterday’s Westmeath Foxhounds point-to-point fixture at Castletown-Geoghegan and in-form handler David Christie’s Slippers Percy indicated that he could well by challenging for top honours this season by destroying the opposition in the open lightweight.

Gordon Elliot’s Bayan justified favouritism with a game display in the featured Races Supporters’ Club Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel yesterday.

Dull might be the best word to describe what’s on offer in Ireland this weekend, but the show goes on and the nap vote at Tramore today falls on Raajih in the Summerhill Shopping Centre Beginners Chase.

Beachdale Lad gets the nap to land a cracking Tyrrellspass Novice Chase at Kilbeggan tonight.

The Gordon Elliot-trained Nedzer’s Return showed no ill-effects from his victory at Tattersalls Farm on Saturday by winning the open lightweight at yesterday’s Clonakilty point-to-point meeting, staged under the auspices of the Carbery Hunt on Inchydoney Island.

Evanna McCutcheon has built up a tremendous rapport with her own horse Long Strand of late and the pair recorded their fifth success of the season in the open lightweight at the North Kerry Harriers point-to-point fixture outside Ballybunion on Saturday.

Gordon Elliot is well on his way to winning the point-to-point handlers’ championship and the Co Meath-based operator sent out two winners at the rescheduled Brosna Foxhounds meeting outside Tullamore on Saturday afternoon.

Ladbrokes — and some of their pals — have to be taking the pee, if you will excuse my French.

Jim Dreaper appears to have a seriously-talented-prospect on his hands in the form of Lord Fingal who lit up Saturday’s Ward Union hunt point-to-point at The Folly outside Oldtown in north Co Dublin by coming home as he pleased in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Colman Sweeney received the ideal boost ahead of partnering Salsify in the Cheltenham Foxhunters in a little under two weeks time by steering Garrett Ahern’s newcomer Now Ben to a hugely-impressive success in the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at yesterday’s West Waterford Foxhounds point-to-point meeting at Lismore.

The Enda Bolger-trained newcomer Marlbrook lit up yesterday’s North Tipperary Foxhounds point-to-point fixture at Nenagh by destroying the opposition in the opening five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

On a miserably wet afternoon for all concerned, the Pat Doyle-trained Serious Mixture lit up yesterday’s Kilkenny Foxhounds point-to-point meeting at Grennan Castle outside Thomastown by recording a gallant pillar-to-post success in a competitive first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Kilavullen-based owner/trainer TJ Nagle appears to have an outstanding prospect on his hands in the form of Just A Par as the son of the Grand Lodge-sired stallion Island House destroyed the opposition under Richard O’Dea in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at yesterday’s well-attended Galway Hunt point-to-point fixture at Dartfield outside Loughrea.

Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Campbell Gillies has died following an accident on holiday in Greece.

Cheltenham Festival winning-jockey Campbell Gillies has reportedly died following an accident on holiday in Corfu.

The rescheduled first session of the two-day Ormond Foxhounds point-to-point took place at Ballingarry in north Co Tipperary on Saturday afternoon, but it was abandoned in the interest of safety after the fourth race, the first division of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Ground conditions were extremely demanding at yesterday’s Pigeon Hill & Carrigtwohill point-to-point fixture, but Croom-based civil engineer Fergus O’Connor was still the happiest individual at the Clyduff venue as he recorded his fourth career success by guiding his wife Irene Walsh’s Pocket Reader (10/1) to a popular success in the Winners’ Of One.

AN infrequent visitor to Ballinrobe in recent years, Johnny Murtagh notched his first win at the picturesque County Mayo track since 2001 when the Aga Khan-owned Adiynara landed the Irish Stallion Farms Median Auction Maiden last night.

BIG ZEB, who has been trained all season with just one day in mind, can land the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham this afternoon.

NOBODY could accuse Gordon Elliot of lacking ambition.

HURRICANE FLY will miss his intended outing this weekend at Punchestown in the Grade 1 The Dobbins & Madigans at Punchestown Hurdle (Morgiana Hurdle).

THERE were no less than 12 races and 168 runners at Saturday’s rescheduled Kildare Hunt point-to-point meeting at Punchestown racecourse and Jamie Codd had an afternoon to savour with a whopping five winners.

2007 Grand National winner Silver Birch is set to run in a point-to-point at Nenagh on Saturday, at the start of a comeback which will see him back at Aintree in April.

HANDICAP king Tony Martin won the Heart Of Down Ulster Cesarewitch for the fourth time in nine years when Green Mile justified favouritism in the Downpatrick marathon yesterday.

AFTER a season which promised so much for Cork Harlequins, the club finished up with nothing to show from a year’s strenuous endeavour.

Heads Onthe Ground maintained Enda Bolger's magnificent record around the cross country course by grabbing gold in the Sporting Index Handicap Chase to provide Nina Carberry with a second Festival success.

IRISH hockey goalkeeper Wesley Bateman has decided to retire from international competition.