So much talk of Irish domination but Britain's trainers have plenty of big guns of their own to fire

There is no point going into the Cheltenham Festival without hope. Time may show hope to have been utterly futile but just as punters must go into a race believing they can win, so, too, must supporters of British jump racing approach this festival with a glass-half-full mentality. Team GB has the horses, or at least a few of them. We are entitled to have the hope.

Consider, for a second, what happened at Twickenham on Saturday. Ireland's rugby union team was 2-9 to defeat England, yet England emerged triumphant. At Cheltenham it's not just England versus Ireland but England, Scotland and Wales versus Ireland. When you look at it that way, odds of 20-1 about Britain winning the Prestbury Cup might not be that bad.

Lest there be any doubt, that is said with a smidgeon of irony. What is, however, absolutely fair is that come Friday evening Britain's jumps stables could be celebrating some significant successes – and perhaps a few more than most people expect.