AS Irish Champions Festival (née Irish Champions Weekend) comes around for the 13th time, it is no harm to consider the big picture of the meeting.

From a personal point of view, it is the best fixture of the year. The timing is ideal, towards the end of the season but not at it, so horses are not over the top nor is it typically run on bottomless ground. I like the concentration of good racing, where basically every race is interesting, and I relish that it is only two days; perhaps I am showing my age, but I find that the longer festivals can drag.