Champion pointer: Did anyone at Ballysteen on April 29th, 2012 think they were seeing a future Champion Hurdle favourite when Faugheen romped to an eight length victory? All going well, he will bid to go one better than Peddlers Cross, the closest a point-to-point winner came to winning in the Festival’s hurdle championship when second to Hurricane Fly in 2011.

Closutton trials: At this stage of the season it appears that Willie Mullins could hold a pre-Cheltenham trials day and people would certainly pay to come and watch.

A Supreme Novices Trials could contain Sempre Medici, Douvan, Shaneshill, Outlander, Max Dynamite, Nicols Canyon.

Followed by the Neptune Novice Trial featuring Black Hercules, Milsean, Tell Us More, Clondaw Court. And we still have Allez Colombieres and Open Eagle to come.

Changed times: “Not the least of our problems for the new National Hunt season will be that of finding chasers worthy to contest the top-class cross-Channel events where the big money is to be won.”

The scarcity of Irish chasers is noted in Reeling in the Years from this week in 1968 on page A54. We don’t have to worry too much this year.

Caviar calling?: The 1964 Massey Ferguson Gold Cup is a race still recalled by racing historians as one of the great races of yesteryear. Arkle heroically finished third behind Flying Wild and Buona Notte attempting to give 26lb to Buona Notte and 32lb to Flying Wild.

The following year, the race was won by Flyingbolt. In the 1970s Pendil was also on its role of honour.

Those memories might not sit so well in racing history had it been called the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup.

Word of the week: The word of the year is apparently the rather ugly ‘vape’. In a sporting context there could be grounds for inventing a new word. An ‘Agueroooo’. Something that pops up to rob you just when you think victory is yours.

Willie knows best: You know those times when you want to say something but it’s probably wiser not to?

But here goes - surely it’s a huge ask running a horse who has only completed two chases, who has never run over further than two miles five furlongs and who is only five, over three miles and two furlongs in one of the most competitive chases of the season. Even Denman started at 5/1 for his first Hennessy Gold Cup.

Call here next week, there may be some humble pie on the menu.