What day is it? Tuesday? It feels like every day was a Saturday, such was the daily quota of top-class racing over the Christmas period. What a feast we had. No one shirked the challenges and we had some memorable performances with just enough questions left to eagerly anticipate some rematches.

Having written after the Punchestown two-day meeting that Ballyburn might have question marks over two miles, that the reaction to Galopin Des Champs getting beaten by the two novices might be premature, and that Brighterdaysahead should have a shot at the Champion Hurdle, I was pretty pleased with a few outcomes.

Let’s see how the land now lies for the big championship Grade 1s at Cheltenham.

The big asterisk on many races is the form of the Willie Mullins runners, many look certain to have ran below their best. Seven winners from 74 runners is a poor return for such a powerful yard.

You have to go back to 2010, 14 years ago to find a King George winner, Long Run, who went on to win the Gold Cup after winning the King George and that streak looks like extending for another year. The first three home in the Kempton feature look more like Ryanair Chase horses than Gold Cup.

Il Est Francais was a joy to watch and dominant for two miles and six furlongs. Banbridge was given a great ride and stayed this distance well on the decent ground. L’Homme Presse has had his shot at the Gold Cup and been found wanting. If he runs, the 12s for Il Est Francais for the Ryanair is big.

The two J.P McManus chasers each ran in the wrong race

I felt strongly that Spillane’s Tower was a poor King George favourite and so it proved. This was a big ask for a young horse who did his Grade 1 winning on home soil at the end of last season and had never run at Cheltenham. But he could still improve again and the Durkan was still a good run. I think the two J.P McManus chasers each ran in the wrong race. Fact To File would have been interesting of this pace here, albeit Spillane’s would only have been second at best at Leopardstown.

Grey Dawning’s race ended early when he made a bad mistake. The 33s for the Gold Cup are big now, but he needs a good run probably in the Cotswolds Chase.

Galopin Des Champs was majestic at Leopardstown. He did it all by himself, threw a huge jump at the last and ran away from Fact To File.

Fact To File was pretty keen early and still has his Gold Cup stamina to prove. Of the Gold Cup contenders absent, Gerri Colombe heads to Windsor after not pleasing Gordon Elliott but that comes off a poor Down Royal run also. The same age as Galopin, could he really find that much improvement on his second attempt at the race?

Corbetts Cross or Inothewayurthinkin didn’t further their Gold Cup claims either this week but both do stay.

This race could end up of the best of the Festival meeting, with horses dropping back or stepping up. After the Grade 1 Paddy's Rewards Club Chase result, this where I’d run Gaelic Warrior. Let him bowl along a la Allaho. That 15-length win at Punchestown on his chasing debut over two miles three, sticks in the memory. How he galloped and jumped. That said, the two-mile Champion Chase picture is murky.

The two JP horses again have options here. Willie also has El Fabiolo to be rehabilitated after two poor runs last season.

Grey Dawning might come here too but you fancy connections might go for one crack at the Gold Cup. And then there is the joker in Il Est Francais, will he go to the Festival and for which race?

Strangely for a race where you need speed, and horses tend to lose that as they get older, the Champion Chase has had many more older horses win it than the Gold Cup over the last 20 years. Moscow Flyer, Sprinter Sacre and Special Tiara all winning at a double figure age.

It might be the same again as the 2022-23 champ Energumene will be 11 but showed he still had plenty of zest in beating Banbridge, if getting weight, in the Hilly Way, off a long layoff.

El Fabiolo and Il Etait Temps are still to reappear and the latter was the underestimated horse last season. Would Willie run four here?

Jonbon deservedly heads the market but his Cheltenham form still gives others hope.

Solness is the new player, his Navan run no fluke but he was well beaten at Sandown and needs goodish ground. It’s hard to see Marine Nationale winning it. Would you run Il Est Francais here? We might have a few changes yet.

It was not and should not be the target of a mare who has already taken on geldings and beaten a Champion Hurdle contender

What a race this could be! Willie sent Lossiemouth to take on Constitution Hill and, delightfully, the race posed more questions afterwards. The 2023 Champion hurdler was back, winning nicely, showing sparkle. But he won this by cruising by nine and a half last season, Lossiemouth, after looking on the back foot all the way, chased him well on the run-in. How good is Burdett Road to be a length or two behind at the last?

Then we had Brighterdaysahead dominate the Neville Hotels Hurdle, trashing a clearly below par State Man, who was only three quarters of a length behind her at Fairyhouse when she had the fitness benefit. Did tactics exaggerate the win?

The kick in the teeth was the later revelation that the owners prefer the Mares Hurdle as a Festival target.

The Mares Hurdle was created to give mares a Festival target, to be an end aim in their progression to top level through the addition of more mares races in the programme, and to boost their sales value and improve breeding prospects.

It was not and should not be the target of a mare who has already taken on geldings and beaten a Champion Hurdle contender to win a top Grade 1. A win would add nothing to Brighterdaysahead’s profile. When she is intended to go chasing, it would be a terrible shame not to give her a crack at the Champion Hurdle first.

You can excuse Honeysuckle going to the Mares Hurdle first – she established herself and then won on the Champion Hurdle the following years. Annie Power too went on to the Champion. Winning the Mares Hurdle does nothing further for Brighterdaysahead, since she is likely to go chasing. You can see changes coming to the Mares Hurdle if she runs there because simply too many race fans are disappointed in this possibility.

And, the Mares Hurdle might be no cakewalk – remember Willie still has Kargese to come out and Brighterdaysahead was odds-on when she was beaten in the Festival’s Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle last season.

So the questions…Constitution Hill has to get there again. And his tendancy to go so long at a hurdle could be a worry one day.

Lossiemouth looked and was reported to be laboured early. Cheltenham will suit her better. She was very strong at the end of her Triumph Hurdle win. She’s generally 6s for the Champion, and on the feeling that Brighterdaysahead might just be flattered by her Leopardstown win, that is worth a shot.

Teahupoo had little to worry him it seems. Bob Olinger doesn’t stay three miles, Home By The Lee has been beaten in three Styers Hurdle, sixth, fifth and third. Could be win one at 10? It was interesting/curious to catch JJ Slevin say he had been given bad rides at Cheltenham. But on form, he’s inferior to Teahupoo.

You can look at it two ways. That the removal of the Grade 1 Novice Chase at Leopardstown sent Ballyburn to Kempton and instead of what might have been a leisurely stroll around Leopardstown, he went to Kempton, got well beat and gave much more interest to the season. Sir Gino was dynamite. Rarely has a novice chaser looked so sure of what he was doing. Ballyburn looked clumsy and is not a two miler over fences where clean, accurate, fast jumping is a winner. I see him doing a Denman if let bowl along in the Brown Advisory. Surely Majborough goes for the Arkle?

At home, the Elliott duo fought out the finish of the three-mile Grade 1 novice and there is little between them, one bad jump could turn it. Stellar Story is better than he ran here.

Impaire Et Passe did it well in Limerick, but with no Turners, he is a horse without a race at Cheltenham.

The Jukebox Man was ridden confidently at Kempton and jumped and won well. I’d still not be fully convinced he’s the Brown Advisory winner, he will meet tougher opposition, though 7/1 is reasonable and he’s another straight to Festival candidate.

The novice hurdling division is still to catch fire. Romeo Coolio, Kopek Des Bordes and Kaid d’Authie did the business at Leopardstown, Champion Bumper winner Jasmin De Vaux hasn’t totally convinced with his hurdling while Salvator Mundi and Jalon D’oudairies, and no doubt a few more French-breds have still to appear.

It’s surprising to see two British-trained, Grade 1 winners Potters Charm and The New Lion heading the markets. With both now wearing the ‘straight to Cheltenham’ tag, they may well go longer as the Irish races reveal better prospects? The New Lion was impressive, but what did he beat? The 10/3 looks very short in December.

Workahead put up a nice performance and the 25s for the Supreme looks decent.