Oscar Whisky well worth his place against Big Buck's in World Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival

"My instinct is that he’ll get three [miles]. You saw what happened when we went an extra half-mile at Cheltenham and it’s only another three furlongs in the World Hurdle.

“Of course we bump into Big Buck’s, which is daunting. But he has the speed to travel with Big Buck’s and if the stamina holds out, then we’ve as good a chance as anything of getting near him.

"But let’s get Ffos Las out of the way before we make too many decisions.”

As Henderson pointed out, it was not until Big Buck’s beat his Punchestowns, firstly in the Cleeve Hurdle and then the World Hurdle, that people realised quite how good he was.

“Punchestowns was a very good stayer, but he’d never have finished third in a Champion.”

Trainer Martin Lynch has ruled Oscar Time, last season’s Grand National runner-up, out of this year’s race after the 11 year-old developed a tendon injury.

The gelding very nearly completed a Gold Cup-Grand National double for his amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen, who said: “It just reminds you to make the most of the good days.”

Tom George believes Baby Mix can enhance his Triumph Hurdle claims on Cheltenham Festival Trials day

“The way Saturday’s race is looking,” said George, “there will be a complete reshuffle in the Triumph betting afterwards, one will be halved in price and the others will be doubled!

“Baby Mix wasn’t far off Listed class when running on the Flat and was working and schooling well and showing us all the right signs before he ran [in December]. In fact his jumping was so good that we schooled him over fences a few times to make him realise it’s not quite so easy.

“Hopefully, he won’t need another run before the Triumph after Saturday. He has had plenty of experience on the Flat and we took the view that he ran well fresh in December. He’s where we want him at the moment.”

George is assembling a good little team for the Cheltenham Festival in March. The progressive Sivola de Sivola, a comfortable winner at Newbury last time, will be one of his more fancied runners when he lines up for the Pertemps Final and hopes in the yard will be similarly high for Olofi in the County Hurdle. He is much improved this season and was travelling really well when falling two out in a hot race at Newbury recently.

My Inheritance has shown a lot of speed and is unbeaten in two bumpers. He will take his chance in the Festival Bumper.

George will also be hoping that Module shows enough when he makes his British debut in Saturday’s concluding two-mile handicap hurdle to warrant inclusion in the team for March.

“We ran him in two £60,000 races at Auteuil and he was the only horse we had which wasn’t placed, but he was a bit unlucky both times.

“The first time he jinked at the last and the next time he was brought down at the last when he would probably have been second to Ozamo, the highest-rated four-year-old in France so he was very unlucky not to bring some money back. He’s a nice horse.”

Trainer Nicky Henderson puts five of his Cheltenham Festival prospects through their paces on the gallops

Henderson had scrapped an earlier decision to take five potential Cheltenham ‘aces’ to Newbury for racecourse gallops on Thursday after the ground at the Berkshire track turned tacky. Instead they spent a resourceful morning at Seven Barrows, Lambourn, turning in “work that went very, very well,” according to the trainer.

“They both went well, but Spirit Son had a good blow after the piece of work, and I feel it is very unlikely that he will go to Ireland [for the Irish Champion Hurdle on Jan 29]. There are hurdle races at Wincanton, Sandown and Kelso in the coming weeks and we have several who could run in them,” he pointed out.

In fact, Henderson trains three of the five horses quoted under 10-1 in the Champion Hurdle – only Hurricane Fly and Zarkandar are from other yards – and he will have a major influence on the shape of fields for these ‘trials’ in the run-up to the Festival.

The other home gallop of note on Thursday involved French Opera, Burton Port and Soldatino, a piece of work designed to bring this trio of varying talents closer to racing fitness. “Burton Port has a Gold Cup entry, though I have yet to discuss it with Trevor [Hemmings, the owner], while Soldatino has the Betfred Hurdle [Feb 11, Newbury] as his objective. They worked well.”

Much thought is going into Sprinter Sacre’s next run, with the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury being favoured at this stage. “He could go to Doncaster at the end of the month, but there is a chance nothing will turn up, and he could possibly find himself doing less than if he were at home. What he wants is experience,” Henderson explained.

“The other factor to consider is that if he runs at Doncaster, Barry [Geraghty] won’t ride, because he would be required at Cheltenham on the same day. At Newbury, Barry can ride him.”

Meanwhile, Bobs Worth was a surprise entry for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, although Henderson explained this was merely an insurance in case something went wrong. The RSA Chase remains his Festival target.

David Pipe keeps his Cheltenham Gold Cup options open with Grands Crus

Once again a fascinating renewal is in prospect, though it would be optimistic to expect anything to emulate last year’s epic contest, in which Kauto Star and Denman, the two dominant chasers of a golden era, were overhauled by the six year-old Long Run, ridden by amateur Sam Waley-Cohen.

Jonjo O’Neill has entered Synchronised, owned by JP McManus who has yet to win a Gold Cup, and he is another to have displayed conspicuous improvement. Dismissed by many as a mud-loving slogger, he surprised with a spring-heeled display in good ground to land the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown last month.

His rider, AP McCoy, has not won the Gold Cup for 15 years. He rode Mr Mulligan to victory in 1997 to complete the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double in the same week after Make A Stand had made all the running in a memorable Champion Hurdle.

Paul Nicholls has five entries – Kauto Star, The Minnack, Tidal Way, Poquelin and What A Friend, who finished fourth last year and is jointly-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson.

The youngest entry is the Tom George-trained Halley, a five year-old who landed the Prix Maurice Gillois Grand Steeplechase at Auteuil in November.

He has run twice since in Britain, finishing last of five finishers in a Cheltenham novice hurdle and then unseating Liam Heard at the second in Wetherby’s Roland Meyrick Chase. Neither run gave many clues to the gelding’s true status, though he has an official rating of 148.

George, too, is still trying to properly assess Halley. “The big race he won at Auteuil is the race that Long Run and Kauto Stone won. Halley’s a clever jumper and I think he will adapt to English fences, but the Gold Cup entry is a shot in the dark. We’re keeping our options open with him as we’re completely in unknown territory,” he said.

Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen suffers more woe at the hands of the stewards

The fact that Waley-Cohen has ridden point-to-point winners since that Gold Cup has cut no ice with many punters, who have called for owner Robert Waley-Cohen to take his son off Long Run and replace him with a professional at Cheltenham in March. The owner has refused.

Frankly, the Waley-Cohens have invested fortunes in racing and have the right to book who they like for their horses. That Sam Waley-Cohen is not up to the standard of AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh and company is already factored into the price, in any case. Nobody would be offering 11-4 Long Run with McCoy in the saddle.

Despite the support of his family, Sam Waley-Cohen will still need the confidence-boost of a big winner under Rules before the Festival. Victory in the Betfair Denman Chase aboard Long Run at Newbury would be perfect.

Meanwhile, Henderson has been producing wave after wave of new equine talent in recent weeks, among the most impressive being last Saturday’s Tolworth Hurdle winner Captain Conan, who was quoted at 16-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Another is the unbeaten Darlan, who won cosily for Henderson and Barry Geraghty at Taunton on Monday, and shortened to 12-1 (from 16-1) for the Supreme Novices, though the jockey was playing down the performance.

Geraghty said: “He’s probably one of those who makes it look easier than it is.” This fourth consecutive win could not have been achieved in cheekier style, merely underlining the strength in Henderson’s ranks.

“And we’ve quite a few to come yet,” the trainer reminded me. “This is a big week for our novices. There are many I want to get out and run. I have large entries for Doncaster, where the ground should be best, and also Kempton on Saturday.”

Among the most interesting ‘possibles’ in the coming week are Barenger, who won a Newbury bumper last November. He holds entries at Doncaster, Huntingdon and Wetherby.

Others to watch for are Malt Master, who won a maiden hurdle at Newcastle in November, and the four year-old State Senator, a 65-rated maiden on the Flat yet one who clearly shows potential over hurdles. Both hold multiple entries this week.

Finally, even in the ratings game, it seems there is clearly great rivalry. On the eve of the official International Classifications, to be announced at BHA headquarters in London on Tuesday, Timeform have pre-empted the event by announcing that their form gurus have rated Frankel 143 for his efforts in 2011.

This is the highest figure given to a Flat horse in 39 years by the respected Halifax organisation, and the fourth highest in their history. As Timeform’s Racehorses of 2011 is not published until March, this appears a deliberate ploy to steal the thunder of officialdom.

Nicky Henderson, racehorse trainer, provides a Cheltenham Festival hint with Bobs Worth

At the weekend, the most significant move came for the Nicky Henderson-trained Bobs Worth, who shortened to 5-1 (from
6-1) for the RSA Chase, even though he had been beaten five and a quarter lengths by Grands Crus in the Feltham Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. And there was a reason.

Clearly, Henderson believes there is nothing to lose. It may all count on the big occasion.

New-look McCririck is wasted on Channel 4 subs' bench

You may have missed it, but John McCririck underwent what is termed ‘a makeover’ during the week.

The mutton-chops were given a trim, hair slicked back under a fashionable Aussie bush hat, and somebody stumped up for a navy Saville Row pinstripe. He’d also had a wash.

It has been pointed out that Racing For Change could probably spend racing’s dwindling finances more wisely. But I’m not so sure.

As much as Channel 4 try easing their ageing star out of the picture, they cannot escape the fact that he is still the most recognisable face in racing. And that includes Dettori, McCoy, Cecil, etc.

Racing For Change’s next move is to remind Channel 4 of that fact, and to demand they take him off the bench (where he spends the majority of Saturdays). But only if he wears his new wardrobe.