The stomach is churning now and I can’t wait for the second race today, when my own involvement in Cheltenham begins in earnest with Oscars Well in the Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle.

The flowering partnership between Paul Nicholls and Noel Fehily continued apace at Cheltenham when Sam Winner (4-1) ran out an easy victor of the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial, the first race on Paddy Power Gold Cup day.