Willie Mullins is even money to train more winners at the Cheltenham Festival than Britain - but is it value?

The question was this: will a few acres hidden away off the R448 in County Carlow house more Cheltenham Festival winners next month than an entire island consisting of three countries with an area of 80,823 square miles. Or, to simplify, who will train more winners at the forthcoming big banquet, Great Britain or Willie Mullins?

Before we go any further; the Prestbury Cup is a load of nonsense. I want to put that on record. It's a bit like Bebo and banana bread. Previously popular, but confined to the past and unlikely to make a sensational comeback at any stage in our lifetime. The competition peaked about a decade ago, but the fact of the matter is nobody really cares what sort of passport the winners carry in the Cotswolds.

The battle between Britain and Mullins fascinates me, though. It is a race the Closutton colossus has already won once, a narrow 6-5 success in 2021, and Paddy Power are only offering evens he beats the British on his own again in 2024. If that is not a sign of the times, what is?