A day of drama and thrills is assured - even in the absence of the headline act

A Cheltenham spread that has lost the prospect of Altior ascending to an echelon of equine deity that is the preserve of an immortal few shouldn’t stand up as well as it does in his absence.

Nicky Henderson’s brilliant ten-year-old wasn’t even favourite to secure a third triumph in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. Indeed, when he was scratched on Tuesday morning he wasn’t even second favourite, but there is an undeniable hint of Hamlet without the prince about the race now.

While the presence of two worthy challengers to his crown in Defi Du Seuil and Chacun Pour Soi had lent a fascinating dimension to his shot at history, betting odds are essentially just the dispassionate metric by which the number crunchers manage liabilities. It’s accounting, which isn’t what infuses the Cotswolds in March with feverish energy.

Alas, the anticipation, wonder and emotional rollercoaster of Altior vying to emulate Badsworth Boy has evaporated, and we’re entitled to rue as much.

Still, the show goes on, although whether it should is something that has provoked some dissenting noises in the broader media given the manner in which the Covid-19 strand of the coronavirus has escalated in Italy.

In that context, the illustrious exploits of man and beast in the bowels of the world’s definitive natural amphitheatre might seem a tad more trivial, but they are nonetheless illustrious.

The JP McManus-owned Defi Du Seuil has defied what we tend to expect of Triumph Hurdle winners by progressing into one of the most consistent, high-class two-mile chasers in the business.

Last season’s Marsh Chase winner arrives for his date with destiny seeking a third victory at the Prestbury Park gala. He will be having his ninth start at the track, while Chacun Pour Soi is making his first visit.

The Champion Chase remains one of the few marquee events to elude Willie Mullins, and this unexposed powerhouse will have to defy recent trends if he is to thwart Defi Du Seuil. Mullins’ Rich Ricci-owned imposing eight-year-old has had just five starts over fences.

Chacun Pour Soi slams Min at the Dublin Racing FestivalCredit: Patrick McCann

He is clearly a fine prospect, but the last horse to win chasing’s ultimate speed test with so little experience was Call Equiname back in 1999. Chacun Pour Soi's lack of a run at Cheltenham might also be a concern, although Newmill (2006) and Master Minded (2008) secured Champion Chase glory on their first foray in the Cotswolds.

If the day’s £400,000 showpiece is shaping up into a two-horse race, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is once again all about one: Tiger Roll.

Another who has done more than his share for debunking prejudice against Triumph Hurdle winners, Gordon Elliott's diminutive star is back for more after an interrupted campaign. All roads lead to Aintree for the redoubtable dual Grand National winner, but he has the opportunity here to join Golden Miller as a five-time festival legend.

Keith Donoghue's mount returned to the track with a degree of encouragement at Navan recently, so the drive for five remains very much alive.

Easysland, so imperious here for David Cottin in December, has emerged as an interesting threat. Recently purchased by McManus, he could be dangerous to underestimate as he chases a breakthrough win in the race for a French-based horse.

Of course, French-breds have become prolific at the meeting, and Elliott’s Envoi Allen will strive to build on last season’s emphatic Champion Bumper display when he shoulders the burden of the archetypal Irish banker in the curtain-raising Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

Envoi Allen carries the burden of being the Irish banker in the Ballymore Novices' HurdleCredit: Caroline Norris

Istabraq, Faugheen and Samcro have all delivered in the race under similarly weighty expectations, although it is mildly surprising to note that you have to go all the way back to Monsignor in 2000 to find the last Champion Bumper winner to follow up in a Ballymore.

At this remove, Envoi Allen certainly boasts the most solid credentials. However, the likes of Sporting John, The Big Breakaway and The Big Getaway are all still firmly in the realm of unknown quantities with enormous potential, so it’s not going to be handed to Davy Russell’s mount.

Elliott and Russell likewise combine with Battleoverdoyen in the RSA Chase and McManus’s ubiquitous silks are to the fore again here with Champ, who has various questions to answer given his defeat to City Island on the same card a year ago and his more recent fall at the track in the Dipper.

Unlike Battleoverdoyen and Champ, Colin Tizzard’s Reynoldstown winner Copperhead and Mullins’ Allaho arrive in the RSA on the back of impressive victories, as does Appreciate It in the Champion Bumper.

Since Wither Or Which’s landmark success under his trainer in 1996, the Closutton powerhouse has farmed the Champion Bumper nine times. Here, Appreciate It gets the chance to make it a perfect ten under Mullins’ son Patrick, with Ferny Hollow and Five Bar Brian also on the ticket.

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