Eden can have punters in Christmas paradise

Four rides at Ascot today, two at Thurles tomorrow and no Big Buck’s sums up my weekend rather neatly, I think.

As we all know, Big Buck’s is out for the season, so Prospect Wells does duty instead for Paul Nicholls and I in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

Attempting to replace Big Buck’s is the same as trying to find someone as good as Brian O’Driscoll or Henry Shefflin. You can send on sub, but that’s all it is.