PRIZE pots for the feature races at Ballybrit next week put the Cheltenham Festival in the shade when it comes to what’s on offer for winning a handicap at Prestbury Park in March.

Anyone who turned up at a store sale in recent weeks can attest to the fact that the cost of buying horses capable of competing at National Hunt racing’s top table has been skyrocketing, yet the reward for nearly half the entire programme at the Cheltenham Festival doesn’t reflect that.