THE CHELTENHAM NATIONAL HUNT FESTIVAL.

Is 'National Hunt Festival' still the official title? Or is it now simply the 'Cheltenham Festival? As with many people my age, I tend to find solace in the past. I also have poor observational skills, a memory that is increasingly becoming unfit for prpose and I am too easily dismissive of anything new. So I shall continue to title the magical 4-days as the National Hunt Festival, as I continue to refer to the Hunters Chase as the Foxhunters, even though I do not support the hunting of foxes.

Contrarily, one of my best pieces, if I should be so bold, though no longer archived on the new site, was a defence of foxhunting, not for its hunting aspect but because it gives a new career to ex-racehorses and for the work it provides for countryside businesses, farriers, saddlers, etc. It is too easy for people to cry 'I don't like it, it should be banned', when a little thought might provide an insight into the good as well as the bad. I do not care for reality t.v. shows like 'Love Island'; I do not call for them to be banned, though, as they must allow the air-headed something to concentrate on that is not harmful to society.

It is no doubt due my advancing years, but I do not as excited about the National Hunt Festival as in days gone by, and comparatively recent days gone by. The build-up to the first Denman/Kauto Star clash in the Gold Cup had me hardly able to think of anything else. I went on long walks to try and rest my brain and yet arrived back home unable to  remember little of where my feet had tread. I should be in the same state of tizziness now, 12-days out from the roar that welcomes the start of the Supreme, as I believe The Jukebox Man is the new Denman on the block. I think he will win and win in the same devastating way that Denman triumphed over his next-door adversary. I just hope Ben Jones rides the race with the same confidence as Sam Thomas and makes a strong enough pace from halfway to take the sting out of those with Gold Cup form and, if he runs, test the stamina of Fact To File to breaking point.

In today's Racing Post, Lee Mottershead focuses on the B.H.A. starting procedure and the embarrassing number of false starts at last year's Festival. In Britain, in the main, we start races differently than in Ireland and France. In the latter, they are not at all prissy about procedure, seemingly putting the responsibility more on the jockeys than the starter. The runners simply gather just to the side of the track and when the off-time is nigh, the starter calls them on to the course and as soon as all horses have their hooves on the grass, the flag falls. More importantly, the jockeys are at all times in earshot of the starter, not several hundred yards away in the distance. The B.H.A's. starting procedure, the same for Hexham as Cheltenham, apparently, theoretically should work 100% of the time. And when it does not work, it is always the fault of the jockeys. The B.H.A. may listen to what the jockeys have to say, on what improvements they would have made, ultimately, though, they take no notice of their recommendations. We shall all have to cross our fingers and cover our eyes and hope every race is afforded a fair start, as many horses lost all chance because of the farcical nature of some of the starts last year.

The Champion Hurdle is as weak a Champion Hurdle as I can recall. I will be staggered if Lossiemouth bypasses the Blue Riband of hurdling to go for the Mares Hurdle. She is no good thing but she must now be the best horse left in the race, even if I remain with Golden Ace to become a dual winner of the race. She is just solid, reliable and a multiple winner at Cheltenham.

I am with Steel Ally in the Arkle, Marine Nationale in the Champion Chase, Jonbon if he should run in the Ryanair and Honesty Policy in the Stayers, though I would love Bob Olinger win again. Though Jack Kennedy curses himself for getting Teahupoo beat last year, it should be remembered that Rachel Blackmore gave the riding performance of the week on Bob Olinger. At Cheltenham, though, very often it is the younger legs that prevail and that is why I am with Honesty Policy. I have no thoughts whatsoever on any of the other races ten-days out from the beginning of the greatest show on Earth.