The Irish had it off again at the Cheltenham Festival but Salver was my shining light

THE Cheltenham Festival was great . . . if you’re Irish.

The Skeltons had a stellar week, don’t get me wrong, but the gulf in class between us and the Irish is clear to see.

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Someone needs to stop Willie Mullins – quickly![/caption]

And smooth operator Willie Mullins is so far ahead of everyone else it’s getting a bit embarrassing — for him too!

That gulf in class caught out our Nassalam, who was out of his depth in the Gold Cup yesterday and pulled up on the second circuit.

He was struggling a long way from home and it was massively disappointing.

It goes to show he’s just not classy enough for a Gold Cup ­— and that his mark of 161 from the handicapper is a load of rubbish.

We’ll lick our wounds and freshen him up for Aintree, where I hope he can do himself justice in the Grand National next month.

On a positive note, I was thrilled to see Salver run a massive race to finish third in the Triumph.

He was in the fast lane throughout and, after being outpaced off the bend, he ran on well up the hill and was gaining again at the end.

He’ll strengthen up dramatically over the summer and the real excitement is for next year — this season was always a bonus.

We’ll put him away now ahead of another hurdling campaign next season. He’ll be a chaser eventually, but I’m in no rush and I’m hoping my patience will pay off.

Now that all the ‘excitement’ is over, it’s time to get back to the proper racing at Kempton and Uttoxeter!

I’ve got some good chances, the biggest probably being ISSAR D’AIRY at Kempton (1.35).

He won back-to-back races at Newbury earlier in the winter, scoring gamely the last time.

An 8lb rise demands more, but I’d hope there’s more to come from a horse who’s very lightly raced.

I also think plenty of two at Uttoxeter, including JUPITER DU GITE (4.10).

He’s a bit of a rogue but I was pleased by his chasing debut and he’s another whose better days should be ahead of him.

Speaking of which, I’ll give a small mention to THE RON DO RON (4.45), who is a horse I think plenty of and ran well on his debut at Kempton last month.

At least there will be no Irish horses in my way there!