Jamie Lynch's Cheltenham Day 2 Preview: A champion in the making

Not to say he's come from nowhere, but nobody really expected him to be top of his division at the start of this season. True, it helps that his main rival, a tank of a horse, is out of the Cheltenham picture, but come the championship event on Wednesday he'll show just what a superstar he is in his own right. He goes into the race with the best form, Timeform top-rated, on the back of an easy win, mostly on the bridle, in the face of his stiffest test yet, that under very testing conditions, though the ground has come all alike to him so far.

The trainer's son, who has been intrinsic to the horse's development, including in the saddle, is on record as saying he has a 'huge engine', which is manifesting by the race, more so now he's settling, having looked headstrong in his earlier days. For shame, despite his growing fame, there are variations on his name, a pronunciation game, our Britishness to blame. But what counts is his talent, and the stage is set for him to showcase it on Wednesday, his coronation day. He's favourite, though there's a strong case for saying he should be shorter still in the market than he is.

It's only this season that he's fully showing it, but this horse is the real deal: Faugheen.

Perhaps it was fate that Faugheen, then trained by Andrew Slattery, started his unbeaten career in a maiden point-to-point at Ballysteen that was sponsored by the Dunraven Arms Hotel, traditionally the hottest venue on the Cheltenham preview circuit, at which, two years later, Faugheen was a celebrity name. In the meantime, Faugheen has behaved like a hysterical hungry hippo, gobbling up everything put in front of him, and the Mullins mob seemingly knew just how hungry the hysterical hippo was, Faugheen sent off at odds-on for each of his hurdling races and as short as 11/8 on his debut for the yard in a Punchestown bumper last May when 22 was the magic number; the number of runners in the race and the number of lengths he devoured Josses Hill, who's on the Supreme shortlist.

Including Faugheen, Willie Mullins has the ante-post favourite in ten of the sixteen non-handicap events at the Festival, and each one bar Annie Power has done all of its seasonal preparation at home in Ireland, the Mullins way, the squadron saved up until the Cheltenham crossing whereby, on his signal, they unleash hell. But once or twice a year he'll fire a shot across the British bow, for gauging purposes, and it's significant that the reconnaissance novice this time was Rathvinden, who last time proved almost a match for Red Sherlock, the horse who Faugheen has to worry about according to the betting. Neither horse nor trainer is fretting too much, judging by Mullins' latest bulletin: Faugheen, the jolly, is mellow.

Gary Moore hasn't the look of a man that indulges in mellow, but life will have come that bit easier to him since the news that Spinter Sacre is sitting out the Champion Chase, paving the way for pinch-hitter Sire de Grugy to wear the Champion Chaser crown, but if not a hollow crown it's at least a dimpled one. Even if he wins impressively, which is on the cards, the absence of the best two-mile chaser from the best two-mile chase will be an albatross around Sire de Grugy's neck.

The albatross phrase has its origins in the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, in which a sailor suffers the misfortune of being forced to carry a heavy burden, the story brought to life in 2006 when James Cracknell had to put up with Ben Fogle in a rowing boat for 49 days in an Atlantic crossing. The poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was the Sire de Grugy to William Wordsworth's Sprinter Sacre in their day, in that Wordsworth always overshadowed Coleridge. Though brilliant in his own right, Coleridge never caught a break, eventually spiralling into a laudanum-fuelled depression, but Sire de Grugy has caught a break, and he's running with it. Running riot with it.

I had the suspicion that Sire de Grugy was an Olly Murs horse, right place right time. That was until his latest Grade 1 win when he looked a proper Grade 1 horse, cruising his way to an 11-length success, his performance admittedly more about style than substance, but, unlike some stables, the division looks a substance-free zone.

CHELTENHAM A-Z (PART 2)

G is for Glenfarclas, sponsors of the Cross-Country Chase, because nothing says quality whisky like over-the-hill chasers going over hills. Every Festival has one, whether it's the Queen Alexandra at Royal Ascot, the Marathon at the Breeders' Cup, Dolly Parton at Glastonbury or Sarah Millican at the Edinburgh Fringe. Something that just doesn't fit. Cheltenham's answer, whatever spin you put on it, is the Cross Country.

Two options here. Either have a few quid on Big Shu to repeat his 2013 trick, because 'previous' counts for so much in this discipline, or take some of your Faugheen winnings and sample a drop of the sponsor's finest for nine minutes while the crazy race is run.

H is for Hobbs and handicap hurdles, Philip holding several aces for these very races through the week, including If In Doubt, Fingal Bay, Cheltenian and Champagne West. For the purposes of the Wednesday preview, the last-named is the one to focus on, the Coral Cup being the likeliest destination for Champagne West.

He has the perfect profile for a Cheltenham handicap, as a fast-improver with real strength to his form, remembering that he beat Deputy Dan in a Warwick maiden in the first leg of his hat-trick, completed in a novice at Ascot where he had subsequent dual-winner Ceasar Milan 18 lengths back in third. With only six races behind him, Champagne West still has something up his sleeve, which is exactly what's required for the Coral Cup.

I is for irony, the heavy Cheltenham-exclusive irony that becomes parody and disappears into some sort of caustic black hole. Look out for it, and steer clear of it. Here are some examples:

I'm so looking forward to Tuesday and getting stuck into the form for .

I always pack two bags for Cheltenham, one with some clothes and the other for .

What's the point of all of these preview nights, with trainers and jockeys spouting the same stuff and telling you nothing. (While privately noting down everything that is spouted by trainers and jockeys in order to regurgitate it through the week and/or stake money on it).

The Cross-Country Chase is a joke. I'd rather drink whisky than watch some over-the-hill horses running over hills for nine minutes.

J is for jumping, the name of the game apparently, and it leads us to RSA-favourite Ballycasey, who notoriously fell in a schooling session at Leopardstown only on Sunday. That in itself doesn't necessarily detract from his chance, but what is rather more concerning is that the RSA seems to hold the Indian Sign over Willie Mullins.

In recent times, as many as seven, yes seven - count them: Mikael d'Haguenet, Quel Esprit, Pomme Tiepy, Citizen Vic, Our Ben, Mossy Green and Boston Bob - Mullins novices have tried and failed to complete in the RSA. A worrying trend.

K is for Killultagh Vic, the wise choice in the Champion Bumper. Firstly, he's trained by Willie Mullins, for whom this event is the antidote to the RSA, and secondly Killultagh Vic smashed up a horse who was placed in the 2013 Champion Bumper, Golantilla, by 16 lengths at Naas last month.

L is for lesbian porn collection, of the rather large variety, because everyone needs a way to unwind each evening of the Festival.