These three Cheltenham Festival 'rules' are there to be broken
One aspect of the Cheltenham-as-religion cliche that absolutely rings true is the contribution of blind faith. The Ruby Tuesday multiples, every year without fail. The uncritical acceptance of quotes from intrinsically biased connections. The sons-of-Montjeu-don't-act-there cod theories.
Such tics run against my golden rule of punting – namely, there are no rules – so the instinct is to challenge them. Here are three Cheltenham 'rules' that have been spotted in the run-up to this year's festival, tested dispassionately.
The Supreme is a greater test than the Ballymore
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- We know that times are tight - but racecourses really do need to step up and improve outdated weighing rooms
- The budget has heaped even more trouble on racing - and I fear many trainers will now decide the numbers just don't add up
- Why I think Cheltenham Festival handicaps need to change - JP McManus writes exclusively for the Racing Post
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- Four score and ten just a number to Peter Harris as July Cup triumph shows there's more to the elderly than medical conditions