They're Cheltenham's most famous punting proverbs - but are they actually true?

The hype machine surrounding the Cheltenham Festival starts almost as soon as the previous year’s meeting is over. There isn’t a jumps fixture in the calendar that generates more debate or is assigned more column inches than the jamboree that comes and goes each March.

While plenty of sense is often spoken in the festival run-up, it goes without saying much of it is intertwined with a lot of hot air and we shouldn’t believe everything we hear or read.

The sheer weight of analysis has given rise to several myths by which many punters live or die. However, is there any substantial data to back up these long-standing beliefs?