THE Cheltenham Festival towers above all these days, National Huntly speaking.
Of course, those four days in March are four of the most special days on the calendar, and the entire season inexorably funnels into them.
However, these are the golden weekends of the
season, the next eight weekends that take us up to Christmas.
These are the lush weekends, rich in quality, stand-alone units which are to be savoured as independent entities without the spectre of the Cheltenham Festival looming.
Weekend 1: JNWine.com Champion Chase, Charlie Hall Chase, Sodexo Gold Cup, Cork Grand NationalWeekend 2: Elite Hurdle, Badger Ales Trophy, Lismullen Hurdle, Fortria ChaseWeekend 3: BetVictor Gold Cup, Morgiana Hurdle, Craddockstown ChaseWeekend 4: Ascot Hurdle, Betfair Chase, Troytown ChaseWeekend 5: Ladbrokes Trophy (old Hennessy Gold Cup), Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, Drinmore Chase Weekend 6: Becher Chase, Tingle Creek Chase, Hilly Way Chase, John Durkan ChaseWeekend 7: Caspian Caviar Gold Cup, International Hurdle, Navan Novice HurdleWeekend 8: Long Walk Hurdle, Kennel Gate Hurdle
Then it’s Christmas.