After the thrills of last week, don’t get sucked into the ante-post 2016 Cheltenham big race bookmaker offerings.

This time last year who would have backed the winners of the five Grade 1 championship races? Faugheen was not expected to go for the Champion Hurdle, Dodging Bullets looked below top class with poor Cheltenham form, Uxizandre had only finished second in the JLT, Cole Harden was just another novice, finishing seventh in the Neptune and Coneygree had never jumped a fence in public. It took some crystal ball to pick them out.

Beware of returning champions

Jezki’s defeat in the Champion Hurdle was the 12th time in the last 14 years the defending champion was beaten in the Champion Hurdle.

Coneygree’s Gold Cup win was the 11th time in 14 years the Gold Cup winner was running in the race for the first time.

The might of Mullins

FOR fellow trainers trying to get a share of the glory, possibly the worst thing that Willie Mullins said all week was after Milsean’s run in the Albert Bartlett.

“I only really threw him in the back of the lorry.”

If the afterthought just gets beaten in a Grade 1, what hope have the rest.

Good week for….

Davy Russell, five rides at Cheltenham, two winners - a better strike rate than even Willie Mullins. It’s some run since Native Jack in 2006 gave him his first visit to the winner’s enclosure at the Festival. Look no further for your Cheltenham banker for 2016.

Not so good week for….

Bryan Cooper, it began with the well-backed Whistle Dixie clipping heels and losing her rider in the mare’s bumper at Sandown last Saturday. At Cheltenham, a two-day ban on a horse winning by six lengths with his ears pricked was a bit careless on Don Poli.

On the Friday, there was a strong ride in refusing to yield to Barry Geraghty on his outside on Petit Parisenne in the Triumph, then an ambitious run up the rails on No More Heroes in the Albert Bartlett which probably cost him the race and an 11 day ban for his ride on Road To Riches in the Gold Cup. He can have little quibble with the punishments. He administered the first cracks to Road To Riches before the turn-in and that’s a long way from home if you have a limited number to use.

Still, he walked out of Cheltenham 2015 which was a far better situation than the previous year.

A conspiracy?

So Un Atout was identified as the villain who got into a scrap with Champagne Fever, ruling the grey out of the Champion Chase. Perhaps it was lucky Champagne was heading for the two-mile race and not the Ryanair where Don Cossack was favourite.

The conspiracy theories might have made a few headlines!

Irish-bred challenges

The last three Cheltenham Festivals had produced 20 Irish-bred winners in 2013, 16 in 2014 and this year it was reduced again to 13. It’s a reflection on the changes in National Hunt racing.