It has to be Langer Dan for best villain - but who else gets a gong at my 2024 Cheltenham Festival Academy Awards?

When news emerged early on Wednesday that Leo Varadkar would be addressing the Irish nation at noon with a big announcement, the only shock was that he didn't put forward his proposals for changing the Cheltenham Festival but instead stepped down as Taoiseach and leader of his Fine Gael party. 

The world and its mother, grandmother and mother-in-law seem to have a view on what sort of surgery is required to resuscitate the festival. There is no denying it does need to go under the knife and the most respected surgeons in the industry seem to be prescribing the same sort of procedure. 

Fewer Grade 1s, forcing the best to meet the best more often; gender neutrality, with outstanding mares like Lossiemouth being forced into the Champion Hurdle; the cross-country chase to become a handicap again; novices to be banned from handicaps; and some measure to make sure the National Hunt Chase can't have Gold Cup contenders like Corbetts Cross strutting down the same catwalk as plain Janes like Mr Vango. That's the gist of it.