Same as it ever was or might this season be different? How the British challenge is shaping up against the awesome Irish

We've been here before, haven't we? You know where. That dispiriting place where promises are made in November but never kept in March. 

Over the last three seasons, the only horse to have won at Cheltenham's November meeting and followed up at the festival in March was The Real Whacker. That is one out of 57, a sobering statistic for the home nation and a clear sign that we should not get carried away by anything we have seen over the last three days. 

Forget all the form or else you will be fleeced at the festival. That’s what recent history tells us.