The big Cheltenham Festival dos and don'ts with Ross Brierley

DON'T back horses in handicaps ante-post

The fantasy bragging rights when it comes to Cheltenham are often secured by the way of a wink, a nod and an ante-post handicap fancy who caught the eye in Graded races sometime over the winter. Unless your surname is McManus, however, you’re more than likely barking up the wrong tree and, in some cases, find out the tree isn’t even a tree. It’s a lamppost.

Even if you do get it right, you might end up taking 25-1 a week before the race only to see your fancy romp home at 33s, so hold fire until a few days before your big handicap hope lines up and take a shorter price in exchange for a greater pool of information. Let the braggarts brag because talk is cheap in this game.

DO celebrate the good times

The old Kipling nonsense about treating victory and defeat the same is useful in life, but I learned last year that every now and then it pays to enjoy yourself and do a little dance around the office when Chantry House jumps the last and powers up the hill, regardless of whether Paul Kealy is sat next to you with a face like thunder.