Will the three superpower trainers dominate the Cheltenham Festival again?

As every punter knows, winners do not come easy at Cheltenham, especially if you persist in taking on short-priced favourites in search of the elusive touch. Yet punters have it easy compared to trainers, who despite the increasingly bloated festival programme face unprecedented competition for winners with the big three of Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Nicky Henderson boasting more aces than a Battle of Britain dogfight.

The three kings of Cheltenham ruled last year's festival with an iron fist, claiming an astonishing 15 of the 28 races and providing the runner-up a further 11 times. Jessica Harrington, the queen of Cheltenham, who landed the Gold Cup with Sizing John as well as the Grand Annual and Coral Cup, was the only other trainer to secure more than one victory. Those four won £2.4 million in prize-money between them, while the remaining £1.9m was shared between 54 others.

Even in an era in which a handful of powerhouse yards dominate the jumps game it was striking to see so much plunder concentrated in so few hands, a trend that appears to be growing more pronounced with each passing year: in 2016 and 2015 the top three trainers won 13 races between them; in 2014, ten. A decade ago, in 2008, the top three won eight and 25 races were split between 18 different trainers.