Festival preview nights can be a laugh, as is much of the advice

The Cheltenham Festival starts early, about November. It will soon be time for the preview evenings and for the clerk of the course, Simon Claisse, to stand on the track with a stick while he announces that the going is something with “good” in its name.

Walking the course is supposed to be helpful but I’ve got my doubts. Have you seen how far it is? Anyway, to do it properly you have to compare the ground across as well as along the track, which means executing a zig-zag route which would take until bedtime. Then there’s the New course and the Old course. So that’s out. Good, or more likely good to soft, officially.

The previews are a great way of getting into the mood for the festival, although this year’s collection is unlikely to include anything to match the preview at the Glencarn Hotel in Castleblayney in 2009. The late, one and only Oliver Brady walked into the ballroom in company with Pablo, the winner of the 2003 Lincoln. I’ve never seen or heard anyone like Brady – but then neither has anyone else.