THE ITV Racing team began the Tuesday coverage with a Peaky Blinders-style geezer shouting the scene. Maybe, in fitting with the day, it was more an Irish Packie Blinder but even Cillian Murphy has moved on from that era though?

On track it was two trilbys v a flat cap as Mullins, Henderson and Elliott engaged in battle. But it soon became apparent that all was not well with the Henderson camp.

It was a soggy start and a bogged down end, photos of cars properly stuck in the carpark at the end of day didn’t help promote attendances and the numbers were down on the Wednesday.

Ed Chamberlin, A.P. McCoy, Megan Nicholls, Luke Harvey and Mick Fitzgerald are at the helm for ITV. Ruby in the booth and some insightful contributions by Richard Hoiles over the first two days. Oli Bell is outside with contribution from Kevin Blake and Brian Gleeson gets some wisdom from the ring from Johnny Dineen among others.

A bit of nice nostalgia is engaged by Richard Dunwoody and his daughter and A.P. and son looking back at their careers and big Festival days. We get a nice behind the stables piece on Wednesday too. One of Joseph O’Brien’s string brings his own cardboard to lie on!

With his first winner in Gaelic Warrior on the board, Willie Mullins meets Matt Chapman head on.

“I was looking at him with the hood and wondering how much it would improve you Matt, if we put a hood on you?”

Willie is the man of these two hours. The Champion Hurdle and Mares’ Hurdle are added to the bag.

“State Man does what State Man does,” is the comment of his trainer. It’s a bit of an underwhelming Champion Hurdle winner though. The odds-on winner only really asserts after the last, though Ruby Walsh praises the ride.

Lovely horse

If you want your champions to have that “look of eagles” don’t call State Man, though Mullins continues: “He’s a lovely horse, there is hardly ever anything wrong with him… if he was a footballer he’d be playing in every match every Sunday and he’d be scoring goals too.” Football is a theme of the week.

Richard Hoiles is on the ball in summary on Wednesday on what Cheltenham is failing to offer as a customer experience.

In general, RacingTV coverage use better angles than some of the ITV side-ons or drone shots which seem a bit far away and the RacingTV angles coming down the hill and into the straight are much better. El Fabilolo’s error was more visible on RacingTV.

It’s a case of watching the race on RacingTV. Switch to ITV for the on-track interview and parade ring return and back to RacingTV for the longer and more insightful parade ring interviews.

On ITV/Virgin you are subjected to the Skystream advert which gets a lot of grief on social media. Do I agree? Em…….......…is it Friday yet?

With the Henderson Festival form line showing PP3PPP after the first race on Wednesday, Nico de Boinville does not welcome Matt Chapman’s enquires...”same story, different day,” on the Henderson runner in the first.

Ballyburn wins with his head in his chest, almost literally. Paul Townend interviewed afterwards said: “His bark is worse than his bite. He’s definitely not as strong as he visually looks.” Still, neither horse nor human would stand in his way as he powered up the hill.

In the ring, like everything else, it’s hit and miss. Dineen is against El Fabiolo but his trust in Brighterdayahead goes awry. Brian gets Spike Murphy to camera who states his case for Built By Ballymore. Martin Brassil is “one of the shrewdest men in the world, he wouldn’t throw away a stone.”

Stones or not, Ballymore is beaten. There are “Annie Power-like liabilities” on El Fabiolo. Wait for it.

Playing a blinder

Through the week, the soccer men are playing a blinder in showing the thrill of winning. Tony Bloom gets an interview. Agent David Manasseh thrilled over Ballyburn’s success. “I’ve been coming here 20 years with friends, to have a runner…”

With the Mullins shorties going in, on Wednesday, Kevin Blake contributes on the state of British racing discussion.

“It’s gone terribly one-sided. I don’t think that’s healthy for anyone. It’s not healthy for Ireland...A week like this. Talk about red alarm bells. And he added “I don’t know if the chasing pack are hungry to go after them.”

The sales offerings, how efficient Willie Mullins is at sourcing young horses is mentioned. Nicholls asks are they buying the right type of horse? Luke Harvey chips in that they need young blood in the training ranks. But as for getting the big spending owners back in Britain, a glance at the bumper and seeing the 12th Teeshan, who cost a packet, and those from public sales, 15th Bill Joyce (£225,000), 16th Quebecois (£320,000) and 17th Sixmilebridge (£100,000), trailing in behind an Irish first seven to add to the first five Mullins-trained in the Gallagher, you’d not be eager to be dipping your toe into this world?

There were stats against odds-on El Fabiolo in the Champion Chase. Even with a reduced field, Oli Bell tells us £4.1 million has been traded on the race. Interviewed by Chapman, Willie says, “I’m not as worried about his jumping as other people. Famous last words.” Indeed they were!

Ominous

The signs are ominous quickly for the favourite with sloppy jumps at the first two fences before he goes through the fifth.

There is a sense of déjà vu. When Douvan came with an air of invincibility in 2017, he made early mistakes. It was Henry de Bromhead’s Special Tiara who won it on his fourth attempt.

Captain Guinness has had many attempts in Grade 1s including two here and not to be rude – the old dog for the hard road had his day. Henry de Bromhead remarks: “I’ve never known Declan (Landy) lost for words.”

It’s a sign of the times that a bigger priced unexpected winner gets more of a reception than the star names.

The final scene on Wednesday came from RacingTV. Ruby Walsh joins Lydia Hislop as the light was fading on the Willie Mullins 100 Festival winner celebrations, fittingly brought home by Patrick on Jasmin De Vaux in the bumper.

In summing up the Mullins rise to today’s heights, the usually forthright, quick to comment Walsh, who shared the Mullins success, is asked by Lydia what Willie Mullins means to him. There’s a pause… (no it’s not SkySteam again)… the words don’t come quickly this time. “A lot,” is the reply.

Another longer pause….before Hislop smiles to camera. It says a lot. Not Christopher Nolan but a rather good final scene.