THE entries for the three Grade 1 championship races were revealed this week which also saw the introduction of the ‘non-runner-no-bet’ on many of the Festival races.

The 14 engaged in the Champion Chase represents the lowest number of initial entries in over 20 years so punters should avail of the early concessions with it likely that there could be no each-way betting with fewer than eight runners on the day.

Willie Mullins has four entries, and with Energumene a legitimately strong favourite, the other three might be dispatched elsewhere. That also depends on his other strong favourite Allaho, recovering in time to make the Ryanair field. That Thursday race has Allaho hanging over it – if he runs he wins but we could also have Blue Lord from the Champion Chase and what if Galopin Des Champs departed early in the Paddy Power Gold Cup? Would he still go for the Gold?

Also worth a look as the race is his only Festival entry is Hitman. Bookmakers are confused too with quotes from 16 to 33s. It’s always worth watching for an overreaction to one bad run.

Hitman didn’t finish due to a bad mistake in the King George (hopefully the bleeding from the nose was due to the mistake), but his two previous runs were progressive.

Flat track

He hasn’t run at Cheltenham so you can’t definitely say he needs flat tracks. On his best form, 33s (Bet365/Unibet) is big.

Options look limited for Chacun Pour Soi at his age, Cheltenham record and his stable companions over taking him. But this may be where we see him and if the race cuts up – 25/1 could be a place bet.

Shishkin in the Gold Cup is a curious one, he won his point-to-point but wasn’t favourite on that day had only four rivals, and the favourite didn’t finish. He also beat a decent horse in Shan Blue in the Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle over almost two and a half miles so the Ryanair would look the ideal option if he’s lost his two-mile pace.

The Betfair Chase will be key as Shishkin, Fakir D’Oudairies and Hitman could run there.

Shrink

The 7/1 Shishkin will shrink rapidly if he performs close to his best next time as he’s a talking horse as well as a high-class one.

The Gold Cup looks the strongest race in depth and has more questions over its potential runners.

It’s a best price 7/4 about a horse that has never run beyond two miles and five and a half furlongs over fences. That demands more faith than reason and faith in Willie Mullins. Just five or six completed chases, three where he had things all his own way, and the Turners form is weak too.

Connections of many of those next in the market – Bravemansgame. Protektorat, Conflated, Hewick, are all issuing bullish noises and add in the de Bromhead two, and L’Homme Presse and Noble Yeats – it does look like the most competitive of races.

Ground conditions can be likely to add or subtract from a horse’s chance here – and we have seen many Friday’s become stamina sapping over the years. The Gold Cup has more the look of a wait ‘til March to get involved than the other two shorter chases.

Harry ‘no hands’

HARRY Skelton’s ‘no hands’ aeroplane winning celebrations are undoubtedly adding a bit of humour to the aftermath of a race. After watching the buzz of excitement at the darts, and think also if there was no celebration by a goal scorer, racing can do with all the demonstrations of joy and the excitement in success that it can find.

However, you do have to feel a little uncomfortable watching a rider having no control over a tired horse, pulling up in front of a large noisy crowd, no matter however brief. It does have the potential to backfire.

Firing stones at windows

SOMETIMES when a sport or industry needs to be examined or elements of it challenged, it can be better to get an ‘outsider’ into the position of scrutiny and calling to account.

In one sense, you have no allegiances to anyone and a new pair of unbiased eyes can ask the pertinent questions.

However, it’s also dangerous to throw in someone to a new area who only picks up bits and pieces and doesn’t grasp how the elements fit together.

Paul Kimmage produced another ‘anti’-racing article in last week’s Sunday Independent.

It had a feel of a troublemaker walking down a street firing stones at random windows just to see who he could agitate into a reaction.

It’s not to ignore that there are issues, and some cloudy areas, and a degree of scepticism among many racing fans and a need for better, faster and constant scrutiny by the racing authorities.

But picking up random threads, making two and two make a suspicious six and firing shots in public doesn’t reveal anything.

The reasons for drug test fails are many. Yet, racing’s image worldwide is under constant scrutiny and there have been enough serious wrong doing uncovered to cause alarm.

But lumping everything together to create an impression of constant skullduggery, serves neither writer nor sport. Yes, we wait for answers. And evidence.