THE October meeting at Cheltenham is perhaps not trying as hard as was once the case to provide clues for the big meeting in March, and I remember the distant days when the meeting was completely low-key and away from television, taking place in a midweek slot with small fields the norm.

It was once again the case that local stables struggled to field runners for some of the novice events and it’s just as well that Irish trainers continue to support the meeting, with Saturday’s card dominated by yards from across the Irish Sea, albeit not always the ones the market expected.