Political-Will is a buzz-phrase that can sum up a lot. Mostly it sums up the belief that things happen or don’t happen in direct proportion to the whims of those in authority. And there is no greater whim in Irish racing than prizemoney. (more…)

Hindsight might be 20-20 but even from this cushy angle it’s hard to fathom where fourteen Irish trained winners came from at Cheltenham 2013. It’s not like everything went perfectly – think Pont Alexandre – but a new record tally was still set. Perhaps the only logical conclusion to come to is that the country can’t be as financially banjaxed as everybody thinks. (more…)

Kicking the can down the road has become a zeitgeist phrase, usually applicable to tough decisions being put on the long finger, but adaptable enough to be used in connection to the always tricky question of horse-welfare and this week’s Cheltenham festival. (more…)

National Hunt fans tend to look up their financial noses at the flat when it comes to money, and how the winter sport is resolutely for the ‘small man,’ but it will be hard to argue that at Cheltenham 2013 when the vast majority of big Irish hopes will be in such a tiny minority of hands. (more…)

Did anyone see that coming? Say yes, and I’ll call you a liar. There were plenty pre-festival predictions, even from those who’re not routinely dismissed as negative and pessimistic, that the Irish tally at Cheltenham 2011 wouldn’t even make the 2010 total of seven. And then nearly twice that come in? It was remarkable stuff. (more…)

On the basis that the only things really worth carrying to Cheltenham in your travel bag are memories, here’s one selection of festival best bits that might produce others. (more…)