Jade a strong each-way fancy in Mares’ Hurdle

Extending Cheltenham to four days has seriously diluted what’s on offer and it is very much illustrated by this afternoon’s Racing Post Arkle Trophy.

Nicky Henderson’s Altior is set to go off at very tight odds, for a race over fences, but the opposition shapes as woefully weak and those who lay the horse will surely be banking on him being brought down or falling, because there should only be one winner on all known form.

Ideally, of course, one would have loved to see Yorkhill taking him on, but he has been rerouted to Thursday’s JLT Novices’ Chase, a relatively new addition to the festival.