Just five weeks to go now until the greatest race meeting in the world begins, the Cheltenham four day festival. At Leopardstown in Ireland on Sunday Dunguib was mighty impressive and for all the big "hitters" he will surely be the banker of the 2010 meeting. In 1978 the Irish trainer, Edward O'Grady, had a simlar horse to Dunguib in his care called Golden Cygnet. Golden Cygnet came over to Cheltenham undefeated in four races over hurdles. The Irish would not hear of defeat for Golden Cygnet and with odds of 5/4 laid on him he toyed with his seventeen rivals in the Supreme Novice Hurdle. As soon as he had passed the post he was being hailed as the 1979 Champion Hurdler. I can see Dunguib carrying all the same expectations as Golden Cygnet. Lets hope he gets to take his chance in the 2011 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle. Tragically, a bad fall at the last flight in the Scottish Champion Hurdle in April 1978 left Golden Cygnet fatally injured and robbed hurdling of its most exciting recruit for years. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

It was good to finally get some top class racing back again last weekend after all the cancelled meetings due to the cold weather. C4 served up an exciting afternoon from Haydock where Diamond Harry was impressive for his first run over fences, and Ascot where Twist Magic won as he pleased and provides Paul Nicholls with a live second string for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March. ATR covered the Leopardstown meeting in Ireland on Sunday and here Solwhit was a good winner and consequently promoted to favourite for the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle. As always at this time of year all roads lead to the Cheltenham Festival and this Saturday (30th) Cheltenham stages their Festival Trials Day. I am sure they are hoping that Denman puts in an appearance. He will surely put a few extra thousand on the gate. He is engaged in the Argento (Cotswold Chase) worth £100,000 and run over 3 miles 1 furlong. Last years winner Joe Lively is also engaged along with Madison Du Berlais, Barbers Shop and Carruthers. Barbers Shop has a second option as he is also engaged in the Betfair Trophy Chase worth £50,000 run over 2 miles 5 furlongs. The Betfair Cleeve Hurdle worth £50,000 and run over 3 miles looks as though it could be between Karabak and Fair Along. Lets hope the cold weather stays away and the meeting can go ahead. For all the latest news from the course click on Cheltenham. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

With the abandonment of the Sandown card on Saturday C4 filled in with discussions comparing Kauto Star with Arkle. Kauto Star is a great Chaser who has the speed to win at two miles and the stamina to win a Cheltenham Gold Cup. Film footage of the sixties bought back many happy memories of my visits to the Cheltenham Festival in that era. Besides Arkle I was also privileged to see Flyingbolt and Mill House. After Mill House won the Gold Cup in 1963 a lot of us, apart from the Irish, thought he would win the 1964 Gold Cup. How wrong we were, Arkle cruised upto Mill House at the second last and stormed away to win by five lengths. The picture above by Lionel Edwards, which adorns a wall in my home, captures that moment wonderfully well. It was in 1964 that we saw Flyingbolt for the first time at Cheltenham when he won the Gloucester Hurdle. In 1965 he won the Cotswold Chase over two miles and Arkle won his second Gold Cup. In 1966 Flyingbolt won the Two Mile Champion Chase by fifteen lengths and ran the next day in the Champion Hurdle where he finished third to Salmon Spray. Flyingbolt was breathtaking over two miles but he did stay as well. He finished his season in 1966 by winning the Irish Grand National under 12-7 giving huge lumps of weight away to his rivals. He was still only a seven year old. Arkle won his third Gold Cup in 1966. Both Arkle and Flyingbolt contested the big handicaps having to give lumps of weight away to their rivals and this is something Kauto Star has not done. He has been kept to Grade 1 races competing at level weights. However in the box next to him at Paul Nicholls stable is a certain Denman. Denman has already won two Hennessy Gold Cups at Newbury carrying top weight and a Cheltenham Gold Cup. He reminds me very much of Mill House, a strong galloping stayer well suited by a galloping course such as Newbury and Cheltenham. He looked better than ever when winning his last Hennessy Gold Cup by three and a half lengths giving 22 lbs to his stable companion, What a Friend, who has since gone over to Ireland and won the Lexus Chase over three miles at Leopardstown. Both Denman and Kauto Star, who was brillant in the King George VI Chase, look better than ever this season. We could be in for another mouth watering Cheltenham Gold Cup. If Denman regains his crown he will surely be rated up there with Kauto Star, but in my opinion they are both behind Arkle and Flyingbolt. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

Lets hope the weather relents and racing can take place on Boxing Day where the feature race will be the William Hill King George VI Chase worth £200,000 run over 3 miles. Kauto Star should win it for a fourth time but there will not be much between him and Imperial Commander judged on their Haydock Park form. Madison du Berlais was behind them that day but he has excellent form over course and distance and could well be in the shake up. It was a shame to lose the Ascot cards to the weather. The highlight on Saturday would undoubtedly have been the Long Walk Hurdle where the top rated hurdler Big Bucks would have been taken on by Diamond Harry amongst others. Like a lot of racing folk I cannot understand why the racing authorities have added the race to Newburys card on the 29th December. Why not add it to Cheltenhams card on January 1st when so many more people would be be able to watch and enjoy it. Horse racing is very much a minority sport and needs all the good publicity it can get. This was very evident with the time alloted to it on BBC's Sports Personality awards programme. Blink and you would have missed it. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

The Cheltenham Boylesports International Meeting gets underway today (Friday) with some great racing in prospect culminating with the International Hurdle worth £150,000 tomorrow. This race looks to be a rematch of last years Cheltenham Champion Hurdle where Punjabi just beat Celestrial Halo and Binocular. Barry Geraghty rides Punjabi and come next March he might have a difficult choice to make between Punjabi and Zaynar (pictured) who was mighty impressive at Ascot. Zaynar runs tomorrow in the Relkeel Hurdle which is the last race on the card. The big betting race is the Boylesports.com Gold Cup Handicap Chase worth £150,000 and run over 2 miles 5 furlongs. It looks a very open affair with a lot of old favourites running. There are some interesting runners coming over from Ireland and the pot might well go back across the Irish Sea with Sky's The Limit if he puts his best foot forward. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

For the third Saturday running Ruby Walsh and Paul Nicholls won the "big" race. Kauto Star just at Haydock, Denmans demolition job at Newbury and Twist Magics' pillar to post at Sandown. All three horses were superbly ridden by Ruby Walsh and of course brilliantly trained by the Paul Nicholls team. Denmans (pictured left) performance under top weight in the Hennessy was a Cheltenham Gold Cup winning performance. Will Ruby Walsh pick Denman as his Gold Cup ride or will he stay loyal to Kauto Star. If both horses get to Cheltenham fit and well in March 2010 it promises to be another great race between the two stable companions. The excitement is already mounting and Denmans performance in the Hennessy has seen a rush for tickets for Gold Cup day. For tickets and all the latest news from Cheltenham click here. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

After last weekends exciting performances by Kauto Star, Imperial Commander, Diamond Harry and Zaynar we now have the Hennessy Gold Cup Chase to look forward to at Newbury on Saturday the 28th as well as the Wbx.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle. Denman (pictured) is a short priced favourite for the Hennessy.If he is in the same form of two years ago when he won this race he will take all the beating. He has to give weight to a lot of good horses namely Barbers Shop who will be wearing cheekpieces for the first time. They certainly worked for Madison du Berlais last season. Snowy Morning started favourite for this race two years ago only to fall early on. He had a disappointing season last season but you can never rule out one of Willie Mullins runners. War of Attrition also comes over from Ireland for the first time since his Cheltenham Gold Cup win of 2006. They all receive lots of weight from Denman. The one that interests me most though for an each way bet is Roll Along who finished sixth in last years Cheltenham Gold Cup when trained by Carl Llewellyn. Carl Llewellyn is now assistant to Nigel Twiston-Davies who now trains Roll Along. His horses are in tremendous form. Roll Along will be ridden by the in form jockey Noel Fehily. The Hennessy Gold Cup is worth £200,000 and is always one of the highlights of the jumping season. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".