The Festival has a long and storied history of producing compelling duels and, with the 2020 renewal rich in promise, Darren Norris picks six battles not to miss.

Pat Kelly’s charge is enigmatic but, just like his media-shy trainer, utterly fascinating, writes Pat Keane.

PLEASE, please Willie run Benie Des Dieux in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and give us the battle that will light up the festival.

Delta Work, Kemboy and Presenting Percy remain on course to renew rivalry at Leopardstown on Sunday, after all three stood their ground for the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.

Yes, indeed, Footpad again buried punters — many of them — one more time when failing to deliver in a Grade 2 chase at Thurles last Sunday.

Veganuary and Operation Transformation are not running this weekend, they are running all month or for even longer.

The 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero returned from 733-day break in a conditions hurdle on New Year’s Eve.

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

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.

So, Conor O’Neill, general manager of Punchestown racecourse, admitted to being ‘very disappointed’ the John Durkan Memorial Chase (run at Punchestown last Sunday) was broadcast on a split screen with no commentary in the early stages.

Last Saturday I went to Haydock to watch Eight And Bob run in a valuable three-mile handicap hurdle, he being owned by the Act D Wagg syndicate of which my wife, Gillian, is a member.

It’s surely a no-brainer to give the on-course bookmakers what they want and help keep them on life support for as long as possible.

The National Hunt season is getting into full swing and already a number of horses, four to be precise, have been identified that may well help to keep us cruising along.

LAST weekend offered another illustration of the wealth of young talent inhabiting Irish weigh rooms at the moment.

The next four days bring Killarney’s racing season to a close, and a good mixed programme gets the meeting under way. Harvest Bow will take beating in the Francie Sheehan’s Bar Killorglin 3-Y-O Hurdle, one of three national hunt races in the latter part of the card.

Who would want to be a handicapper with a horse like Willie Mullins’ Micro Manage around?

I don’t understand the betting for today’s feature race, the Punchestown Gold Cup.

It’s a case of quantity over quality in Britain this afternoon with the bulk of the ITV4 action coming from Musselburgh, where the feature race is the Queen’s Cup Stakes.

It’s hard to recall a more open Cheltenham Gold Cup than the one that will unfold before our eyes at 3.30pm this afternoon. Of the 16 set to go to post in the Magners-sponsored Cheltenham Festival highlight, only four can be dismissed with real confidence – it really is that open.

We drew a blank yesterday but most of the horses ran very well, writes Ruby Walsh.

For two meetings so close to Cheltenham, Gowran Park and Naas host two decent cards this weekend. The Kilkenny venue is first up and From Eden can follow up last week’s success when he lines up for the second division of the Xenon Security Handicap Hurdle.

Trust Arvico Bleu to put his experience to good use in the Templemore Beginners Chase, which opens today’s seven-race card in Thurles.

Clare is not a hotbed of horse racing, in terms of trainers at least, but Newmarket-on-Fergus is where Aengus King holds a restricted licence, meaning he is allowed train four horses under NH Rules.

We know there has been something of a cloud hanging over the Ballydoyle horses for a while now, with Aidan O’Brien reporting that the bug was “the worst we’ve had.’’

We know there has been something of a cloud hanging over the Ballydoyle horses for a while now, with Aidan O’Brien reporting that the bug was “the worst we’ve had.’’

Low Sun sprang a major surprise in the €100,000 RYBO Handicap Hurdle in Fairyhouse yesterday, giving 7lbs claimer Katie O’Farrell the biggest win of her career and the first leg of a magnificent double.

Colm Greaves predicts what Cheltenham will throw up today

Last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Sizing John, may not be here to defend his crown but trainer Jessica Harrington has an able deputy in the shape of Our Duke, who can land racing’s blue riband on the final day of another very successful Festival for Irish-trained runners.

After the highs of Tuesday, I suffered the lows of racing when falling from Al Boum Photo in yesterday’s RSA Chase.

The hype that surrounds Presenting Percy should ensure Monalee goes off a tasty price in today’s RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase and Henry De Bromhead’s charge is fancied to do the business in a race that historically separates the men from the boys.

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.

"If it was all plain sailing it would be much too easy!"

Jessica Harrington has certainly stood the test of time, writes Pat Keane.

When Michael O’Leary gave Davy Russell the bullet, on New Years’ Eve 2013, one might have expected the rider to pull out his pipe, put on the slippers and take his place among the majority of jockeys, the journeymen, writes Pat Keane.

Douvan is “not far away” from returning to action after being entered in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park on Saturday.

It’s day two of the Leopardstown and Limerick festivals and much attention will be on Min, who contests the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at the Dublin track, writes Ruby Walsh

He is, quite simply, the most hyped horse since Golden Cygnet. It is just as well Gordon Elliott’s Samcro isn’t human, because, if he was, the weight of expectation might overwhelm him, writes Pat Keane.