‘Inches ever closer’ - What to watch out for this week with a view to Cheltenham

The Cheltenham Festival countdown is almost at an end, with now just eight days before the tapes go up for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle to signal the start of the most important week of the National Hunt season.

There are lots of preview nights taking place, as well as online previews and podcasts aplenty, ensuring punters have never enjoyed more opportunities to be informed before the festival begins. Here are some things to look out for as Cheltenham inches ever closer.

Entries to be unveiled

From Wednesday onwards, we will begin to see the entries for the festival's 28 races taking shape. The five-day entries should give a degree of clarity on certain targets. Fact To File s Gold Cup supplementary decision is set to be known come Saturday, though the recent market vibes are suggesting that the defence of his Ryanair Chase crown is the preferred option.

The scheduled entries for Cheltenham are:

• Wednesday, March 4: confirmations and supplementary entries for day one — Tuesday, March 10
• Thursday, March 5: confirmations and supplementary entries for day two — Wednesday, March 11
• Friday, March 6: confirmations and supplementary entries for day three — Thursday, March 12
• Saturday, March 7: confirmations and supplementary entries for day four — Friday, March 13

The weather plays a key role in the days close to the festival and weather watchers are on high alert this week.

Forecasters are predicting drying conditions in the Cheltenham area this week and Ladbrokes have made it just 1/3 that the official going on Day One of the Cheltenham Festival will be 'Good to Soft'. Soft ground is priced at 7/4, while anything else looks very unlikely according to the odds.

Gold Cup market movers

Last year's winner Inothewayurthinkin has attracted a wave of support in the betting for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Gavin Cromwell 's runner has been well beaten in all his starts this season and took a tired fall in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival when beaten.

He has really crept into contention for the festival pinnacle and is now just 6/1 with some firms, having been 14/1 in many places a week ago.

His supporters will be encouraged by that strong betting presence, but those placing faith in the form book will surely find it hard to believe he can pull off a second Blue Riband win.

Despite his strength in the Ryanair betting, Fact To File is as short as 5/2 in places to win the Gold Cup after his DRF domination in the Irish version.

Two-time winner Galopin Des Champs is around 8/1. Beaten in both starts this season, his trainer Willie Mullins has suggested he will peak in the Cotswolds.

Day One decs out on Sunday

Sunday morning will be the moment when the declarations are known for day one of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday, March 10.

The full fields for the trio of Grade 1s — the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the Arkle and the Champion Hurdle — will all be unveiled. Lossiemouth winner of all four starts around Cheltenham, including a trio of festival wins in the Triumph Hurdle (2023) and the Mares' Hurdle (2024 & 2025), could go for a hat-trick in that race, or will owner Rich Ricci be tempted to have a crack at the two-mile Championship event instead?

It's a race Ricci won with Annie Power in 2016 and the likes of Epatante Honeysuckle and Golden Ace have helped ensure that mares have won five of the last 10 Champion Hurdles.

All eyes will be on the declarations come Sunday morning to see if Lossiemouth's name appears alongside the likes of Brighterdaysahead and The New Lion for the day one feature race.