Punters have penetrated deep into enemy territory - now for our biggest weapon

After two days of battle, the annual Cheltenham Festival contest between punters and bookmakers is swinging towards the good guys.

The dominant performances of Appreciate It, Shishkin and Honeysuckle on day one, followed by Bob Olinger and Monkfish yesterday, mean many bettors are going into the second half of the festival with plentiful ammunition.

Ominously for the layers, it is only now that the wraps come off their biggest gun. Some standout performances already this week have perhaps reframed Envoi Allen's status as the banker of the meeting – he will struggle to match Appreciate It's 24-length winning margin on Tuesday or Monkfish's comfortable domination on day two.