MEANWHILE, back at the ranch, Gigginstown House were responsible for nine of the 10 entries in Naas’ Grade 3 novice chase tomorrow, with four now running.

If you were slow to comprehend, you might have felt sorry for the guy who owned the sole other horse. Except that was J.P. McManus.

Comments by Brian Kavanagh deflect the argument and kind of miss the point of concern.

Kavanagh was quoted: “This merely advertises the powerful owners’ strength in depth. They are great supporters of all our major races… we want to put an emphasis on quality.”

Except in National Hunt racing, it’s not always the quality that appeals. And not if it squeezes out so many. We heard another trainer this week, Adrian Maguire, reluctantly contemplate handing in his licence as he only had five “paying” horses.

With the quality horses set for Cheltenham - of course the goal and the showcase for jump horses - this weekend should be the chance for a few others to pick up the near €20,000 first prize.

A glut of lesser graded races is doing little to help the middle and lower section of the sport.

“Down through the years horses who were not aimed at Cheltenham were aimed at this,” Kavanagh is quoted as saying but when those horses are owned by the same few owners, it makes little sense saying anyone can enter.

But on the eve of Cheltenham, with all the best horses heading westward across the Irish Sea, these horses are not even the cream of the crop.

It’s difficult to find something more likely to put off potential owners. Why would they keep or train a horse if this is the opposition they are faced with?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“A wave of the wand, a puff of smoke and the magic man pulls one out of the hat and makes it eight.” A great commentary from Hong Kong on the final of the eight winners for Joao Moreira.