BECOMING OVER-EXCITED, DE BOINVILLE/QUEALLY, THE MAJBOROUGH PROBLEM, AND MORE POOR TIPS, I SHOULD IMAGINE.

I never used to think about the Cheltenham Festival as a British v Irish clash and it did not really bother me the year British trainers only won 5 or was it 7-races. It was always the exciting yet simple pleasure of watching great horse, ridden by great jockeys and trained by great trainers at the greatest racecourse in the world. This year, though, I have become fully invested in the swings and roundabouts of the Prestbury Cup and became overly excited, after accepting that the Irish were about to win another race, when Martator sprouted wings after the last to spoil the Irish celebrations. I am no longer bound to the horses I have tipped for any race as all I want to see is British-trained winners. I think it is 8-6 to the visitors after the second day. All to play for.

The stewards need to take into account the overall frustrations of the jockeys with the shambolic starting procedures when determining what was said and for what reason in the spat between Denis Queally and Nico de Boinville at the start of the Turners yesterday. Shambolic starts are not a universal problem; it is a British problem. Ireland are not troubled by starts, neither are they a thorn to French racing. To me the problem is obvious - horses are being lined-up too far away from the starter. For a hundred-years this was not the protocol for starting National Hunt races and yet it seems the B.H.A. are stubbornly wedded to this procedure. Ruby Walsh makes a valid point that it is the mechanism that starters must use is the problem, not the starters themselves, yet his solution, a rolling tape, has two drawbacks as far I can see. One is the expense, and though Cheltenham may be able to afford to invent a mechanism as designed by Ruby, it will be required for every different start on the racecourse, I cannot see it being financially viable at the likes of Cartmel or Fontwell, can you? And you cannot have variable procedures. The starts must have the same procedure at every racecourse and at every point where races races are started from. And secondly, horses will still be able to either get their heads over the tape or if lined-up someway back, horses will still be able to charge the tape. I still think wood-shavings or vegetable dye denoting a 'starting area' should be deployed and as soon as every horse is within this area, with it being the jockeys responsibility to have their mounts pointing in the right direction,  the starter drops his flag. I do not even see the need for a tape as it takes as long to get the elasticated tape back into position as it does for jockeys to regain control of their horses. What is for certain is that trials of different starting procedures should be established at as many different racecourses as possible, and as quickly as possible.

What to do with the problem that is Majborough? With no criticism of Mark Walsh intended, and as J.P. McManus will have a different retained jockey next season, I think some consideration should be given to Harry Cobden riding the horse the next time he runs. If there is two-runs left in him this season, I would propose Harry having a go on him over 2-miles and then going up in trip, not that I see the distance as being the problem given Majborough's proclivity to want to boss his jockey.

I am no expert, of course, and as with the true experts, I get things wrong as many times as I get things rights. I expressed my belief earlier in the season that Cheltenham would be the undoing of Majborough and I was proved correct. Unfortunately for me, I also expressed the same concern for Il Etait Temps and yesterday he put me squarely and firmly in my box.

Incidentally, has anyone noticed that Willie Mullins has had five-winners so far this week, four of them were with grey horses, while the fifth is a bay, though with the name King Rasko Grey.

I have a sneaky fancy for Place De La Nation in the Mares Novice Hurdle, and as I have had a delivery of Manganese this week - a help with muscle spasms. Still get the bruising feeling but it does stop the spasms -. Slade Steel in the novice handicap chase. Wodhooh should canter home in the weakest race of the week, the Mares Hurdle. Don't scrap it, Cheltenham, just transfer it to the December meeting. Something nags away at me that Ballyburn will win the Stayers Hurdle. Why can't this race be titled the 3-Mile Champion Hurdle, as that is what it is? I am quietly confident that Banbridge will take down Fact To File, though obviously I hope Jonbon does the taking down. And the last two races are far too difficult for me to either attempt to solve via the form-book or for my instincts to involve itself.