I still think the Prestbury Cup is nonsense - but suddenly it really matters for British jump racing

I'm a little embarrassed when I remember my reaction to the introduction of the Prestbury Cup in 2014. A silly, pointless piece of marketing blather. Okay, so Irish trainers won 14 out of 27 races at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival, but it was hardly likely to happen again. That was a one-off. And isn't this whole team thing nonsense anyway? It's not a team sport; it's not even like the Ryder Cup.

Mind you, the Ryder Cup analogy seemed apt. I cited it at the time: between 1935 and 1983, there were 19 American wins, one British win, and one tie, before the continentals came galloping to the rescue. Maybe, I suggested, if the French ever started taking Cheltenham seriously, we could join forces and have a fighting chance.

I was spectacularly wrong. Since winning the first two editions by 15-12 and 14-13 respectively, the British have been eclipsed save for a dead-heat in 2019. Two years ago the margin was a crushing 23-5, last March 18-10. And the French? Almost never to be seen, although British and Irish trainers alike have done a fine job in plundering their raw material.