OpinionDavid Jennings
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The Gold Cup horse running in the Ultima and more key takeouts from the Cheltenham preview night circuit

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Deputy Ireland editor
Cheltenham preview nights are more resilient than mountain goats
Cheltenham preview nights have somehow stood the test of timeCredit: Patrick McCann

The Cheltenham preview night was an endangered species 20 years ago, yet there was Shark Hanlon turning up on my X timeline Thursday night telling everyone in a Gorey hotel that Willie Mullins would have "three times as many winners as England".

Not even flirting takes place in person anymore, but somehow there remains a thirst for Cheltenham preview nights with a live audience.

Despite the festival itself being unrecognisable from the cutthroat and compelling three-day saga of 20 years ago, the preview nights have never changed. The same faces in the same places saying the same things. A few stools, a few pints and a few outrageous claims. A concoction of claptrap and curses. The more ridiculous the rant, the louder the cheer. Our open mic nights are going nowhere.

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