Ruby Walsh: This truly is the month of opportunity in the jump world

FANCIED: Panda Boy and JJ Slevin win the Ladbrokes We Play Together Beginners Steeplechase last May. Panda Boy is fancied for the Irish Grand National. Pic: Healy Racing.

Saturday is April 8, and in the next three weeks, between now and April 29, three Grand National winners and 26 Grade One races will be decided in the heart of the National Hunt world: the British Isles.

We had the “championships” in March, and now is the time for those who hit the crossbar there to get a go. Well, not all of them, because the Cheltenham winners will be back out to round their seasons off in perfect fashion, but almost all of those who lined up in March will have a better chance of success this month. Add in those who weren’t considered good enough, and you have a substantial pool of horses.