Since its inception, the Dublin Racing Festival has been one of the strongest guides to the Cheltenham Festival. Form at Leopardstown Racecourse regularly translates to Prestbury Park success, and punters closely analysing the horse racing odds each March know just how powerful those clues can be.

Here are some of this year’s standout performers who could follow up in the Cotswolds.

Talk The Talk — Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Old Park Star currently sets the standard for the curtain-raiser, but Talk The Talk ensured the opener won’t be straightforward after landing the Grade 1 Irish Novice Hurdle for Joseph O'Brien.

Having fallen at Christmas at the same track, the gelding showed real resilience. He looked beaten turning in, still a few lengths down approaching the last, yet produced a sharp change of gear up the hill to get up on the line.

That late surge is often the most telling attribute for the Supreme, a race run at a relentless gallop where the final climb exposes doubtful stamina. If reproducing that finishing kick, he looks almost guaranteed to be involved in the closing stages.

Majborough — Queen Mother Champion Chase

Few horses had a more frustrating Festival last year. Sent off 1/2 for the Arkle, Majborough’s jumping collapsed late on and cost him victory.

Early this season, the errors persisted, but his performance in the Dublin Chase was a transformation. Producing a flawless round, he powered 19 lengths clear of defending Champion Chase hero Marine Nationale, confirming his raw ability was never in doubt.

Cheltenham still poses questions: quicker tempo, fiercer pressure and potentially faster ground. Yet if the jumping holds together, he now has the profile of a rightful favourite rather than a risky one.

Brighterdaysahead — Champion Hurdle

The Gordon Elliott mare has long been top-class but elusive at the very highest level at Cheltenham.

Her Irish Champion Hurdle win changed the narrative. Reversing form with Lossiemouth, she travelled strongly throughout and asserted decisively after the last to score by over three lengths.

Last season, she finished fourth despite both Constitution Hill and State Man coming down, a run that raised doubts about her effectiveness on the track.

She’s now 0-2 at Cheltenham, but this year’s renewal lacks a dominant force. If she handles the hill, her Leopardstown performance puts her firmly among the leading contenders.

Fact To File — Cheltenham Gold Cup / Ryanair Chase

A fascinating decision awaits Willie Mullins and owner J.P. McManus.

After a disappointing sixth in the King George, some questioned whether the nine-year-old had plateaued. He answered emphatically in the Irish Gold Cup, surging clear of stablemate Gaelic Warrior in a performance that screamed stamina and class.

He could defend his Ryanair crown, the safer route, or be supplemented for the Gold Cup. On that Leopardstown evidence, connections now have a genuine championship option rather than merely a hopeful one.

Other potential Festival players

Mullins’ squad depth was again evident, with further winners capable of making an impact, including Doctor Steinberg, who fits the demands of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.