FOR me this is the best day of the week headlined by the Festival Trophy (2.50) and the Stayers Hurdle at 3.30.

A bit of the gloss has been taken off the latter with Marie’s Rock having run in the Mares Hurdle on the opening day and given a moderate ride and/or running below form, which to be fair the majority of the Henderson horses seemed to do on Tuesday and that could open up this hurdling championship for the new kid on the block BLAZING KHAL.

Yes, he has had a minor setback since his win the Galmoy Hurdle and he is a fragile sort, but he went through that race on his comeback in really good style, quickening up well. To my eyes he is the one entry in the race to have the ability to rate an awful lot higher, being relatively unexposed.

The two-time title holder, Flooring Porter, has also endured a setback and I think it is highly unlikely that the other jockeys will allow Danny Mullins to boss the race again in the same manner, only making their challenges in between the last two flights.

It would be a magnificent achievement if they can make it a hat-trick of victories. I actually think that the French raider, Gold Tweet, is a bigger danger to the selection having put up a cracking trial over the course and distance last time out.

He has much more racing experience than the selection, but is also unexposed over the trip and I love the way he showed a tidy turn of foot on that occasion.

Shishkin is likely to be a red-hot favourite for the Festival Trophy, but I simply cannot have him at a shade of odds-on. I thought he had a tougher race than many believed on his first start over 2m5f at Ascot and I simply cannot trust him to replicate that form here, especially as there is plenty of rain on the way which I think would undermine his chance big time.

The problem is, there aren’t many viable betting alternatives in what’s quite simply a below par renewal and it could be that another relative new boy, GA LAW, is the each-way call here.

His victory in the Gold Cup, when he beat another of today’s rivals, French Dynamite, was followed by a last fence fall in the Great Yorkshire Chase (over 3m) when he held every chance.

I suspect a fast-run trace on this soft ground will suit him and if he can keep tags on the market leader I think he has every chance of outstaying him up the final climb.

In the handicaps I will be having a double pronged shot at the Handicap Hurdle Final (2.10) with COLTOR and THANKSFORTHEHELP (nap).

The last named hacked up at Chepstow last time out and still looks firmly ahead of the handicapper, while the former ran a lovely qualifying race at Musselburgh.

The Roger Fell-trained runner will come here a very fresh horse compared to some of his rivals and this will only be a third career start over hurdles.

The opening Golden Miller Novices’ Chase at 1.30 looks at the mercy of favourite MIGHTY POTTER (nb), but at around 11/10 you are hardly going to bolster the bank with the Gordon Elliott-trained runner, and a better-value bet later on on the card could come in the form of ESCARIA TEN in the Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase at 4.10.

It was not too long ago that he was being talked about as a possible Gold Cup hope of the future, but things simply haven’t worked out since a three length third of 10 to Galvin in the National Hunt Chase of 2021.

He has yet to win in six outings since, the best of which was second of four runners to Any Second Counts in the Bobbyjo Chase last year.

I think that a fast-run two-and-three-quarter miles with give in the ground is his domain and it is worth noting when he finished third in that NH Chase he handled the fences with great aplomb.