Cheltenham Festival: Punters’ pockets will be dictated by Willie Mullins

It is not inconceivable that the record for the most wins at a single Cheltenham Festival will be breached this week

MAN TO FOLLOW: Willie Mullins on the gallops at Cheltenham yesterday. The most successful trainer in Festival history looks destined for another profitable week. Picture: David Davies/PA

If you’re one of those people who loves to get up early each morning of Cheltenham, grab the newspaper, spend a few hours poring over the form, get the lunch out of the way, and then settle down to enjoy the Festival from the comfort of your own couch, this week won’t be that different. And that is the best way to approach the meeting: As though it were no different whatsoever to previous years.

As always, the racing will begin with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle tomorrow afternoon, will take you on a rollercoaster of graded and handicap action for four days, and then, on Friday evening, come to a juddering halt with a devilishly difficult Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle which will likely leave you wishing the Festival had finished up just a couple of races earlier.