Resurgent times for northern racing with best Cheltenham Festival since 2012

There might not have been a great deal of surprise at the final score of last week's Prestbury Cup, given it was the same as 2022 at 18-10 to Ireland, but the source of the home winners certainly raised a few eyebrows.

For trainers in the north of England and Scotland to have as many winners as Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson combined at the Cheltenham Festival was remarkable.

The three victories – from just a few runners, it's worth adding – by Corach Rambler (Ultima), The Real Whacker (Brown Advisory) and Iroko (Martin Pipe) provided a significant boost to a region generally short of the firepower needed to compete at the highest level.