Prepare to be enthralled - we always are when Might Bite's around

Might destroy them. Might not cope with conditions. Might be parched for a pint and pop into the Guinness Village for a swift half. Might stagger back to the chase course and collar something in the final stride. Might be the superstar staying chaser we've been searching for. Might Bite.

No need to tune into BBC1 for EastEnders tonight as you will get your fill of drama at 3.30pm. Walford won't hold a candle to the Cotswolds on this most fabulous of Fridays, especially if the bad boy turned good returns to committing crimes.

Racing's very own Phil Mitchell has been favourite for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup since capturing the King George but will need to be on his very best behaviour to win the most coveted prize of all.

There can be no nonsense from Might Bite this time. He got away with it in last season's RSA, but veering violently is a violation in Gold Cup laws and he would be punished with defeat.

Defeat is something he hasn't suffered since that disastrous disagreement with Daryl Jacob approaching the final fence in the Feltham at Kempton the Christmas before last. So horrific was the footage that parents are advised to cover their kids' eyes for fear of mental scars when the replay sneaks on to television screens.

Might Bite is five from five since that spill though, and he could just be the the Beast from Berkshire we have been craving. When he's good, he's great. When he's great, he's glorious to watch.

He will need to run for longer here, though. When Bobs Worth won the Gold Cup on soft ground in 2013 it took him seven minutes and five seconds. That's almost a minute longer than Might Bite's winning time in the King George. Will he be staggering or sure-footed coming through the door when he gets home?

Stamina is no issue for Our Duke. He won an Irish Grand National. He will stay and stay straight too, but is he good enough?

Having spent most of the winter in the shadows of stablemate Sizing John, the proven mudlark has been parachuted into the spotlight following a late setback to the defending champion. Robbie Power has switched to him, and Presenting Percy didn't do the form of his Red Mills Chase win any harm at all, did he?

So what of the other mudlovers? You sense Native River will never get a better chance to win it. He arrived 12 months ago battered and bruised after a war in the Welsh Grand National and two heroic efforts at Newbury.

He has barely got his gun out of his holster this season and must be craving a gunfight. He loves it in the trenches.

Native River (Richard Johnson) wins the Denman ChaseNewbury 10.2.18 Pic: Edward WhitakerCredit: Edward Whitaker

Definitly Red will definitely devour the ground too. His form figures on heavy ground read 2112211, the most recent of those an eight-length demolition in the Cotswold Chase at the trials meeting.

Then there's poor Willie Mullins. Ireland's champion trainer has endured more heartache than anyone in Gold Cup history. Six times he's sent out the runner-up, twice with Djakadam, who is back for more under his son Patrick. Killultagh Vic, Bachasson and Total Recall complete his quartet. There is supposed to be safety in numbers.

Edwulf's autobiography will surely be a bestseller some day. He borrowed one of the cat's lives on Owning Hill and somehow managed to survive certain death when he collapsed in the closing stages of the National Hunt Chase last year.

He has not only prolonged his life but is making the most of his second chance, arriving here on the back of a shock success at 33-1 in the Irish Gold Cup. Stranger things have happened.

Edwulf: the miracle horse who defied the oddsCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Strange things have happened in the Albert Bartlett since it was welcomed into the festival programme in 2005. We've had winners at 33-1, 14-1, 11-1 and 16-1 in the last four renewals.

You have to dig a little deeper to find that winner. If you're lazy and couldn't be bothered, back Chef Des Obeaux. Ssshhh, don't tell a soul.

Somebody was obviously told that Stormy Ireland was a little bit special. She started at 2-7 for her sole start in Ireland at Fairyhouse and won by 58 lengths.

She might be the sexy one in the JCB Triumph Hurdle but surely Apple's Shakira is the solid one. She's won three times at Cheltenham, all on soft ground and she's trained by the man who has won the Triumph most. Nicky Henderson is seeking a sixth success in the juvenile showpiece, his latest triumph coming in 2015 with Peace And Co.

If your wallet is under strong pressure with two to jump, a late rally in the Martin Pipe and Grand Annual is unlikely as they are two of the hardest handicaps of the week to figure out. Some theorems are less tricky to solve.

Some say the Gold Cup is the trickiest of the lot but maybe, just maybe, Might Bite is that strapping staying chaser who will shorten the summer for us all.

We never get a peek of the script before he goes on stage. It makes the performance so much more dramatic. Prepare to be enthralled from start to finish. We always are.