A THOUSAND-mile journey starts with a single step, as the meme goes, a relevant Instagram post for a racing fan as the countdown to Cheltenham is initiated. While the destination is clear, where does the punters’ silk road start?

Like the ancient traders heading to far frontiers, the intrepid punter must go on a journey, to gather all of the most precious and rare gems, first hand. So when the time comes, the punter can strike with the purest of rare stones gleaming, ready to trump the paltry offerings of the guessers and podcasters operating on whispers, and second-hand goods.