Ruby Walsh: Appreciate It appeals each-way in opener

Both Appreciate It and Banbridge contested the Irish Arkle at the DRF and found the trip unsuitable. Banbridge didn’t even try to keep up with the pace, and JJ Slevin maximized his chance on that day by allowing his mount to go at his speed and finish the race strongly. Appreciate It did go with the leaders and paid the price late, running out of steam from the last fence.

Stepping up in trip looks like the obvious call for them both, and they are the strongest opposition Mighty Potter has faced over fences. There is no reason to believe Mighty Potter won’t repel them both but, at the prices, Appreciate It makes more appeal for an each-way wager.

Shishkin is my idea of the Thursday banker, and even at odds-on, I find him impossible to oppose in the Ryanair Chase. Some people will point to his flop in last year’s Champion Chase, but forgiving horses for one uncharacteristic off day is easy for me, especially when it’s one from 15 in Shiskin’s case. Janidil could chase him home as he did Allaho in this race last year.

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The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle is a deep contest that the Irish could ultimately dominate. Still, it has a substantial French interest, too, and ruling out England’s Paisley Park is not a mistake I will make twice. He will require a solid pace to bring his stamina into play and I am not sure he will get it. Home By The Lee and Teahupoo appeal most, but Thursday at Cheltenham also see the courses change, so the ground won’t be what it was yesterday.

Watching the Pertemps and deciding on what the going is like would be advised before picking a horse here. If it’s soft, Teahupoo could bag a championship contest and fully justify Davy Russel’s decision to return to the saddle - if it needs justifying.

I believe Gordon’s horse to be at his best when on slow ground, but if the new course is substantially drier than the old, which could be the case because of different watering programs in the autumn, then Home By The Lee is my pick.

The Plate is next up, a race that gave me my first winner as a professional here many moons ago. That was where my luck also finished with this contest. So Scottish looks the ideal type, a novice stepping up in trip, hovering around 11 stone. He ticks all the boxes for anyone to fancy.

The Ryanair Jack De Bromhead Mares’ Novice Hurdle will bring plenty of emotion before it goes to post, but figuring out what will happen as they come back is a different story. Magical Zoe, Foxy Girl, Ladybank, Belle The Lioness or Still Ciel would be the correct winners and anyone one of them could win, as could Princess Zoe, who would also be a popular victor.

The likely winner, though, is Lucia for Nicky Henderson, but she is a skinny price in a competitive contest, and something at an each-way price makes more appeals to me. That is Lot Of Joy, who will be staying on, I hope, from midfield as they approach the last, and her Flat stamina could see her go very close.

My first Festival disappointment came in the 1998 Kim Muir when Papillion failed to land a blow. We got over that and won the 2000 Grand National, but I couldn’t see that far ahead as I trudged out of the weighroom that Tuesday afternoon. I hope Barry O’Neill won’t have similar feelings this evening after he has partnered Stumptown, for Gavin Cromwell, and instead has made the score 6-1 to Ireland for the afternoon’s play.