A spine-tingling test match at Leopardstown before events at the Aviva kick off

Crouch, bind, set. This is the most important scrum of the jumps season so far.

There is, of course, the little matter of a Six Nations opener down the road at the Aviva, but before then there is a spine-tingling test match at Leopardstown. You simply cannot afford to miss day one of the Dublin Racing Festival, especially with Cheltenham in mind.

It was on this very day last year that Footpad showed his rock-solid credentials for the Racing Post Arkle by running away with the Irish equivalent, and we found out Altior's main danger in the Champion Chase was Min following his romp in the Coral Dublin Chase.

Apple's Jade is as versatile as Robbie Henshaw, switched to full-back by Joe Schmidt for the visit of England. He's usually inside centre. The prolific mare is usually seen over two and a half miles, or even three, rarely two.

But Gordon Elliott must believe she has the pace to cope with the speed test in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle or she wouldn't be there. She'll need to be quick to see off Supasundae and Melon too.

Min: won last season's Dublin Chase at the inaugural Dublin Racing FestivalCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Min is back to defend his Ladbrokes Dublin Chase crown, Le Richebourg is out to put the finishing touches to his Arkle claims, while there is no more exciting horse running anywhere than Envoi Allen, who puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Grade 2 bumper.

There could be Cheltenham clues arriving on the blindside at Sandown as well as Vinndication, Lostintranslation and Defi Du Seuil take each other on in the Scilly Isles Chase. Some reputations will be ruined there.

Anyone fancying a bet on first tryscorer? Rhinestone in the opener at Leopardstown. This is a Saturday to savour. Enjoy every minute.

Cheltenham clues hidden everywhere

Here's one for you. How many horses who ran at the inaugural Dublin Racing Festival in 2018 went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival the following month?

Eight. Yes, that's right. Eight.

There are Cheltenham clues everywhere you look over the next two days. Not all of them are obvious and you often have to dig a little deeper than usual.

Footpad, Samcro and Relegate all did the double, winning at Leopardstown and Cheltenham, but there were five others who suffered defeats at the Dublin Racing Festival who made amends when it mattered most.

Farclas reversed Leopardstown form with Mr Adjudicator to win the Triumph Hurdle. Delta Work, who finished fourth in the William Fry Handicap Hurdle, landed the Pertemps Final.

The Storyteller and Rathvinden, neither involved at the business end of the Flogas Novice Chase, were successful in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate and the National Hunt Chase respectively.

Then there was Bleu Berry. You needed to be good to find him, let me tell you. He trailed in 17th in the Ladbrokes Hurdle, beaten 21 lengths by Off You Go, but dusted himself down to edge out Topofthegame in the Coral Cup.

Jade jitters

Apple's Jade is a warm order to register her 14th career success from 20 starts in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle, but it is worth noting she was beaten on her last two tries over two miles.

She went down by a nose to Irving in the 2016 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle and could not contain Rashaan in a Grade 2 at Down Royal in early November of the same year.

A first Scilly Isles for someone

None of the five trainers represented in the Scilly Isles have won the race before.

Colin Tizzard, trainer of Lostintranslation, hit the crossbar in 2013 when Third Intention was collared close home by Captain Conan, while Dell Oro's trainer, Gary Moore, sent out Baron Alco to finish second to Top Notch in 2017.

Oscar Whisky: winner of the Scilly Isles in 2014Credit: Edward Whitaker

Indeed, of the five riders on duty, only Barry Geraghty has won the contest. He was successful on Oscar Whisky (2014) and Captain Conan (2013).

Daryl Jacob has made the race his own in recent years, winning the last four runnings on Terrefort (2018), Top Notch (2017), Bristol De Mai (2016) and Gitane Du Berlais (2015).

None of today's runners have run at Sandown before either, so you will have to find a roundabout way of finding the Scilly Isles winner this year.

Leopardstown love affair

Joseph O'Brien's level-stakes profit is better at Leopardstown than any other Irish track.

The 25-year-old trainer, who has sent out seven winners in the last fortnight, is showing a healthy €43.60 level-stakes profit for every €1 staked on his jumpers at Leopardstown since he started training. Of his 11 winners at the track in that time, two arrived at last year's Dublin Racing Festival.

Tower Bridge won the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle, while Edwulf was success in the Unibet Irish Gold Cup – a tasty 883-1 double.

All sorts of stars on the all-weather

When you are getting all sorts of weather, thank God for the all-weather. It does what it says on the tin.

The Polytrack at Lingfield plays host to some fascinating Flat action, the highlight of which is the Betway Winter Derby Trial (2.55) where winning machine Wissahickon will be a warm order under Frankie Dettori.

The Cambridgeshire winner is now rated 117 but, despite that lofty mark, he is only 8lb clear of Big Country on the official figures and has to give his popular rival 3lb. It will be interesting to see if he can.

The Listed Cleves Stakes (1.45) is a fast-track qualifier and there are not too many faster than Kachy, who whizzed around Wolverhampton on Boxing Day to win a 6f sprint by six lengths.

He returns to Lingfield, a track he is two from three at, and will be very hard to catch despite drawing stall eight of nine.

ITV to make Irish debut

No Racing TV? No problem.

ITV have burst out of the blocks to secure suitable cover for frozen Musselburgh, showing their first live coverage of Irish racing with three servings from Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival.

ITV4 will televise the Ladbrokes Hurdle (2.00), Ladbrokes Dublin Chase (3.10) and Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase (3.45) as part of a nine-race bonanza that will also feature four races from Sandown and two Lingfield Listed prizes.

Racing TV – which took over the direct-to-home rights to Irish racing from the former At The Races at the start of this year – will also be making its Leopardstown debut on Saturday.

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