Cheltenham Festival preview: Ed Chamberlin column

Six weeks to go to four of the most important days of the year.

Preparations are in full swing at ITV Towers for the Cheltenham Festival, the challenge being that ITV Towers still aren’t open. As things stand it looks like the meeting will be behind closed doors. Even though we’re all still working remotely, we’ll give it our best shot.

That’s without the ability to shoot the features we normally would have but my attitude is – as it has been since March 23 – to focus on what we can do rather than the things we can’t.

We’re keen to put the emphasis on the people who are suffering right now and also those who are missing out on their favourite week of the year.

Whether that’s the owners, annual members or the local community who will be impacted so badly. We want to support the local taxi firms, b and bs, hoteliers, publicans, restaurateurs, for whom Cheltenham Festival week is the biggest of the year. In 2021 they’ll have nothing.

In the same way we themed Royal Ascot with the NHS and key workers, similar plans are afoot for Cheltenham.

There may be no crowd but one thing that comes across loud and clear in the feedback I get is that people don’t like us to reference it. Once the action starts the racing looks normal – and as ever it will be spectacular over those four days.

Already you can see the headlines.

Day one will be Shishkin in the Sporting Life Arkle. We have a clash in the Unibet Champion Hurdle that didn’t look on the cards at the start of the season when the cupboard seemed so bare. All of a sudden there are doubts over Epatante, the new tactics that have had such a positive impact on Silver Streak, even perhaps a renaissance from Buveur D’Air. That’s without the Irish charge led by Sharjah too.

Day two could see at future Gold Cup winner in the shape of Monkfish, warm favourite for the Festival Novices’ Chase. Then let’s hope the big players turn up for the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase after the race fell apart last year. Chacun Pour Soi again leads the way at this stage.

Thursday looks like being the best day of the lot. We’ve got the Irish banker running. I love those. We experienced it on ITV with Samcro a couple of years ago. Before that the likes of Danoli and Istabraq produced some of the great Cheltenham moments.

I’d imagine we might hear the roar from Ireland drift over Cleeve Hill if Envoi Allen wins the Marsh.

Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup day is the enigma. We have a potentially historic moment with Al Boum Photo going for a third win in the feature race and Cheltenham immortality. Yet I’ve barely read a word about it in the media.

We will do our best to build it up but this is a horse that doesn’t resonate beyond the sport at the moment. He deserves to.

Al Boum Photo won’t be in action at the Dublin Festival Racing this weekend but I’m so excited it’s live on ITV. It wouldn’t have happened a few years ago but now, thanks to the help of RMG and Horseracing Ireland, we are able to showcase the best of Irish racing to a huge audience in the UK.

987,000 people watched the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster last week and I’d be hoping for another huge number for one of the best weekends of the year.

How can you not he excited about seeing the likes of the aforementioned Chacun Pour Soi, Monkfish and Sharjah in action plus Honeysuckle, Appreciate It, Minella Indo and Zanahiyr?

It’s mouthwatering and by adding the extra day on Sunday to show Leopardstown and Musselburgh, ITV have further displayed our commitment to the sport.

It promises to be special.