THE absence of Benie Des Dieux from Cheltenham has now left the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle looking a little threadbare this season and that comes in the year when we have another mares’ race, a Grade 2 chase, added to the meeting.

Concertisa and Roksana look well ahead of the group in the hurdle, and the opposition, to be honest, are not Grade 1 class. Roksana may be rereouted to the Stayers’.

Will Colreevy line up in the new chase with two disadvantages, being a novice and with a Grade 1 penalty? Dame De Compagnie is a novice chaser but inexperienced. She won against geldings last year and she could run in either race.

We have three Grade 1-winning mares likely to take up open competition in Epatante, Honeysuckle and Put The Kettle On – and that is where they really should be.

But they are also creating a debate that the mares’ allowance should be removed to let them compete on equal terms. But would that make it more likely they would stay in mares-only races? Would that be really good for racing if they went back to their own sex?

The mares’ programme is now very good with lots of opportunities, but it must be tempered with looking at the available group of mares to attract a decent field over fences – there will never be the same pool size with many staying over hurdles. How long do you race on with a Grade 1-winning mare like Shattered Love, now 10, when she is so valuable as a broodmare and you it will be a least five years further on before you know if she can pass on her talents when her offspring hits the track? National Hunt has a different timeframe to the flat.

Dan Skelton was happy to keep Grade 1 winner Roksana, now nine, over hurdles. He said during the week of his Warwick listed winner Molly Ollys Wishes that she doesn’t like fences. There was no point in persevering.

It’s great to see capable mares like Magic Of Life, Shattered Love, Cabaret Queen, Agusta Gold and Moyhenna in the Grand National but there is a strong argument that the Festival is not the place for a small-field, uncompetitive contest.

Racing – in the shape of giving punters and fans thrills – and breeding will not always sing from the same hymn sheet. Sandown on the Saturday before the Festival would have been a perfect place to ‘trial’ a mares’ Grade 2.

There will be few cheers on track this year but you feel that a small field contest between Elimay and Annie Mc, fine horses that they are, would get one of the lesser cheers of the whole meeting. both in interest and as a betting contest.

It might be worth asking if we are putting the cart before the horse, or the mare before the general appeal. just for the sake of blacktype that can be gained at any track.