If the decision to re-route Vautour from the Gold Cup to the Ryanair Chase was an unpopular one, all animosity towards the horse and connections had dissipated by the time the beautifully athletic gelding jumped the final fence and strode clear up the straight to record victory at a third consecutive Festival.

Thirty years ago, a stubborn mare piloted by a veteran jockey and trained by a quiet genius produced the most iconic, spine-tingling moment in Cheltenham Festival history

Ronan O’Gara believes that Simon Zebo needs to stop taking “the soft option” if he is to fulfil his potential with Munster and Ireland.

Willie Mullins reports the preparation for his three main hopes for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup - Vautour, Djakadam and Don Poli - to be bang on schedule with the big race just three weeks away.

Don Cossack faces just three opponents as he has his prep for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup in the Ladbrokes Ireland Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles today.

The number of potentially high-calibre staying chasers in training at the moment is quite astonishing.

 

Captain Blackadder: It’s the same plan that we used last time and the 17 times before that.

There are plenty, it seems, who think the bookmakers overreacted to Faugheen’s smooth success at Ascot last Saturday and that having him as the 9-4 favourite for the Champion Hurdle is far too tight.

It’s over 20 years since Francis Fukuyama wrote his book about the end of history and there are times when you feel that maybe, just maybe, Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh have reached that point when it comes to Cheltenham.

Wasn’t the racing in Ireland last weekend desperately disappointing? What is happening in the National Hunt game in this country is simply turning punters off.