Lay no attention: Four hot favourites you should be cool on this week

There are many reasons why a 'banker' may end up being a bust. That's why it pays to take a closer look at even the shortest favourite 

BURNING A HOLE: Ballyburn and Paul Townend soak in adulation after winning at Leopardstown in February. Pic: Healy Racing

A comforting hope for punters to cling to amid the mayhem and madness of this coming week at Cheltenham is that the ‘bankers,’ those cast iron, dyed-in-the-wool certainties, cannot possibly be beaten. If they could lose then why would the bookies be hanging around street corners with no arse in their trousers, watching enviously as gleeful punters catch first-class flights to Barbados?

There has been the odd exception to the rule over the years of course, but they are so few and far between that they hardly warrant a mention. Although come to think of it, last year’s meeting threw up some unexpected results.