Nicky Henderson was thrilled with what he saw from Pentland Hills, Fusil Raffles and Verdana Blue as they continued their preparations for next month’s Unibet Champion Hurdle with a racecourse gallop at Kempton.

One of four Grade Twos down for decision at Kempton today, the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle has previous form revealing an 11th hour contender for the Triumph Hurdle.

Paul Nicholls is confident Britain’s highest-rated jumper Cyrname can lift the pressure on his shoulders by striking gold in the Betfair Ascot Chase for the second year in succession.

In recent years, Festival Trials Day has more than lived up to its billing with 16 runners over the last five years going on to win at Cheltenham in March.

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.

When it came, the explanation made perfect sense. “Altior doesn’t look like Altior,” Nicky Henderson said as he explained his decision to rule his stablestar out of the Grade Two Unibet Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton on Saturday, a race which was set to be his first start since surrendering his 19-race unbeaten record over obstacles when beaten by Cyrname in the Christy 1965 Chase at Ascot in November.

With the Christmas festival blitz in the rearview mirror, the focus now turns to a new decade and 2020 promises plenty. Here Darren Norris highlights 10 dates not to be missed

Christmas was different, very different. It only really dawned on me how different as I strolled through Dublin airport on St Stephen’s morning at 7.45 rather than 5.45.

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.

Epatante proved herself a mare out of the very top drawer with a hugely impressive display in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

There was good news this week for Irish racing fans with Racing TV revealing it would have a dedicated channel to show Ireland’s three meetings on St Stephen’s Day.

Paul Nicholls is not putting any pressure on stable jockey Harry Cobden, as decision day over his Ladbrokes King George VI Chase mount looms — with either Sam Twiston-Davies or Sean Bowen likely to pick up a cracking spare ride.

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.

The eight-year-old surrendered her unbeaten record over fences when going down by a length and a quarter to Kalashnikov at Aintree on her final start last season but that was her sole defeat in five starts in the 2018-19 campaign.

A sport has to unite to showcase itself, and there remains plenty of scope for improvement in that department in horse racing.

Ruby Walsh hopes to continue to play a part for Willie Mullins' stable after he stunned the racing world when announcing his retirement from the saddle at Punchestown.

Godolphin’s lightly-raced performer Auxerre is among 56 horses left in at the five-day stage for the Unibet Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday.

Provided it gets the go-ahead, day two of Cheltenham will see two three-time heroes go in search of a fourth Festival success and it’ll rank as a massive surprise if Altior and Tiger Roll fail to oblige.

In the latter stages of his career in the saddle he may be but the joy of riding a winner at the Cheltenham Festival commands a broader-than-ever smile from Ruby Walsh, who didn’t have to wait long to make that familiar walk back to the winner’s enclosure.

He’s a winning machine on the brink of equalling a modern-day winning sequence — so why has three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Altior yet to fully capture the public imagination?

From Arkle v Mill House to Kauto Star v Denman to Native River v Might Bite, the Cheltenham Festival has produced some epic duels down the years. It’ll be no different this week and the three showdowns below certainly won’t be for the faint-hearted, says Darren Norris

It won’t come as a galloping shock should Cheltenham produce results this week that are impossible to explain.

Nicky Henderson reports Buveur D’Air to be in tip-top condition as he bids to become the sixth horse to record three successive victories in today’s Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Nicky Henderson believes the professionalism of Angels Breath can come to the fore and help him secure a fourth success in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival today.

Buveur D’Air will have to raise his game again if he is to land a record-equalling third consecutive Unibet Champion Hurdle, according to trainer Nicky Henderson.

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.

The New One could sign off a glittering career in the Unibet International Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Andrew Thornton’s retirement at Uttoxeter today will signal the end of an era in weighing rooms up and down Britain.

Nicky Henderson believes Might Bite is ready to do himself justice in the Betway Bowl at Aintree today.

When I was Clare manager, we played Limerick in the league semi-final in 2006 in Thurles. The game went to extra-time but it nearly seemed that both teams were more concerned with losing the match than winning it, writes Anthony Daly.

However, they added, "the result called on the day stands for betting purposes".

It’s hard to believe three years have already flown by since AP McCoy powered Uxizandre to an emotional victory in the Ryanair Chase in his final Cheltenham Festival as a jockey.

Thistlecrack has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the second year running following the discovery of a stress fracture in a leg yesterday.

Connections of Defi Du Seuil remain in no rush to map out a second-half-of-the-campaign programme for last season’s champion juvenile hurdler.

Willoughby Court will bid to extend his unbeaten record over fences to three in the Betbright Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham today, writes Colin Wilson

There were many treats over the last four days in Ireland and Britain, but for me the biggest star to emerge was Willie Mullins’ Footpad in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown on Tuesday, writes Pat Keane.

Leopardstown’s Christmas festival had everything, both from Willie Mullins’ point of view, and from the racecourse point of view, writes Ruby Walsh.

In 1999 Westlife were No. 1 at Christmas, Bobbyjo won the National, Meath were All-Ireland football champions, and I spent Christmas with my right leg in a cast, writes Ruby Walsh.

Colin Tizzard expects Cue Card to have just three more runs before heading into retirement, with the 32Red King George VI Chase at Kempton on Tuesday week looking increasingly unlikely.

Willie sends Melon to Cheltenham for the International Hurdle and the first thing to acknowledge is that he is not well treated on ratings.

There’s a terrific card tomorrow at Fairyhouse, but the feature of today’s action is the Ladbrokes Trophy (formerly the Hennessy Gold Cup) at Newbury, and Willie has sent across two live contenders, writes Ruby Walsh.

He was forced out of this year's Cheltenham Festival when suffering lung and rib injuries in a fall at Kempton in February.