HAVING found Altior an immovable object in three previous trips to Cheltenham, Min can make it fourth time lucky by winning the Ryanair Chase today.

He has now won three Grade 1s over hurdles, twice at the Cheltenham Festival, and if he is beatable, none of his rivals thus far have managed to find a chink in his armour.

A Plus Tard, Frodon and Min are three of 13 horses confirmed for the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on Thursday.

Willie Mullins has had many great days in racing but, as he debriefed the media in a packed winner’s enclosure, it was hard to escape the sense that few meant quite as much to Ireland’s champion trainer as Faugheen’s epic victory in the Flogas Novice Chase on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival.

Will it all end in tears, just like Samcro?

Sometimes you have to go through hard times to truly appreciate good ones. Just ask Jack Kennedy.

You don’t have to be any sort of genius to now know Notebook is a very good horse.

Nine times victorious at the top level over the smaller obstacles, the 2015 Champion Hurdle hero showed he was still a formidable force – just days short of turning 12 years old – to lower the colours of another star name in Samcro.

There’s a brilliant day’s racing to look forward to, with quality racing spread across the 10 meetings which are scheduled to take place in Ireland and Britain.

Superb racing in Limerick and Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day as their respective four-day festivals get underway, and there is also a good card in Down Royal.

Quality. That’s all it takes it to attract a crowd.

Stay on the good side of these 10 chasers in the months ahead.

Whatever about horses going from one stable to another, for jockeys racing can be one big merry-go-round, and that was never more in evidence than it is right now.

Samcro made a foot-perfect start to his career over fences on a Down Royal card dominated by his trainer Gordon Elliott.

The National Hunt season that has just finished was a very strange one. At times it felt like the season would never get going as we waited and waited for the skies to open. For us in racing, they never really did, but hopefully for the flat season ahead they won’t open now.

The racing world was rocked yesterday after Michael O’Leary announced he will phase out his National Hunt team over the next five years.

Any doubts surrounding Tiger Roll’s participation in the Aintree Grand National were allayed by his trainer Gordon Elliott yesterday, who also revealed that the gutsy nine-year-old may well be one of a number of his charges who could follow up in the Boylesports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.

Janika can carry top weight to victory in the Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase, the fifth race on day three of the 2019 Cheltenham Festival.

Can Altior be beaten?

Samcro has been ruled out of a return to the Cheltenham Festival next week by trainer Gordon Elliott.

Samcro has been ruled out of a return to the Cheltenham Festival next week by trainer Gordon Elliott.

For years the hardest place in the world to tip a winner was Cheltenham. For years the hardest place in the world to back a winner was Cheltenham.

You cannot do what this horse has done in such a short time and not be regarded as potentially top class, writes Pat Keane.

It would be quite a stretch to suggest Buveur D’air’s eclipse in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton opened the door for would-be takers of his Champion Hurdle crown, but Samcro all but stepped out of the running for that distinction with another disappointing display, this time behind Sharjah in the Grade 1 Ryanair Hurdle on Saturday afternoon in Leopardstown.

Some say Samcro disappointed at Down Royal, where he was picked off by the fitter Bedrock (Rachael Blackmore), but Kennedy won’t be hanging around today, writes Ruby Walsh

Samcro's participation in the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday was described by trainer Gordon Elliott as "50-50'' on Saturday afternoon.

As a massive Samcro fan, from the first day he set foot on a racecourse, I will be surprised should he be good enough to win the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

Faugheen, Laurina and Benie Des Dieux are among a strong Willie Mullins entry for next month's baroneracing.com Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

A year ago, we gave 10 horses to follow for the National Hunt season and it worked out reasonably well, so it makes sense to have another go.

Leopardstown and the Curragh share hosting duties in the coming days for the newly

Bellshill saw off stable companion Djakadam to claim top honours in the Coral Punchestown Gold Cup.

It’s Gold Cup day in Punchestown and while I don’t know if we’ll have the race we had last year, with Sizing John, Djakadam and Coneygree providing a brilliant spectacle, it’s still a great race.

Day Four. I started it with €110.51 in the kitty and a cunning plan. 

Day Two. Hmm. This doesn’t look appetising. The heaven-hyped Samcro runs, yes, but he’s one for the big hitters only.

Bonnie Tyler was willing to hold out for a hero ’til the end of the night, but the wait has been a bit longer here at Cheltenham.

Henry De Bromhead’s Monalee can lead his rivals a merry dance in the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham this afternoon.

Yesterday was a great day, a very emotional day, a day that I owe to a lot of people.

The clash of Douvan, Altior, and Min in this afternoon’s Betway Champion Chase is even more than we could have hoped for as a feature on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.