In the words of Jerry Hannon, "strap yourselves in", the next three days of horse racing action in the UK and Ireland are set to shape the tone for the season.
Cheltenham is set for three days of action with the Paddy Power November Festival, as a host of UK and Irish horses clash with their Cheltenham Festival dreams well intact.
Across the water in Ireland, Navan will host two days of top-class action with the Champion Chaser Marine Nationale set to square off with former Champion Chaser Captain Guinness in the Fortria Chase.
The Yellow Clay also makes his seasonal return in the Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle. However, all eyes will be on the chasing debutants, Final Demand, and KopCheltenham Festival.
But now is the exciting part: let's look at the standout races from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Cheltenham and Naas.
Friday: The Return of Jonbon
2:55 Grade 2 Shloer Chase - 2m
The main attraction on day one of Cheltenham's November meeting will be Nicky Henderson's two-mile chasing star Jonbon as he takes his first steps of the season toward the Champion Chase in March.
Should this be a straightforward for Jonbon in the Shlor Chase? Yes, on all known forms it should. But you're not going to get rich backing an 8/11 chance.
One of last season's UK star two-mile novice chasers, L'Eud du Sud, takes his first step into open company for the first time. He won his first four starts over fences last season, which included the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown. But this will tell us a lot about where last season's crop of novice chasers will slot in.
But, given that Dan Skelton's stable stars are likely to need their first start of the season, a chance is taken that LIBBERTY HUNTER can give Jonbon something to think about.
The Evan Williams-trained runner has a Cheltenham record of 121F, and there is every chance that he will be forward enough to frighten the odds-on favourite.
He was still well in contention when falling at the third last in the Champion Chase in March, and should he come back all guns blazing, it wouldn't be the biggest shock in the world if he were to get close to Jonbon, or even beat him.
Friday's Best Of The Rest
Cheltenham 1:10 Lycetts Insurance Brokers Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle - 2m5f
Friday kicks off with a competitive conditional handicap hurdle, and a case can be made for the majority of the 20 runners.
The one who looks worth siding with at an each-way price is KAP VERT. His figures don't match the talent, and it is only a matter of time before everything clicks. His only win over hurdles came over Jurancon, which showed us a glimpse of what he is capable of.
He comes here with a run under his belt and looks sure to be involved in the finish.
1:45 Unibet Middle Distance Veterans' Chase Series Veterans' Handicap Chase - 2m4f
The inclusion of Fugitif and Gunsight Ridge keeps the weights down here, and one who has a lot less to prove than others is the last time out winner, LORD BADDESLEY.
He was an 18-length winner on his last start, and comes here on top of his game for a trainer among the winners. If he can dominate on the front end here, he may be hard to peg back.
2:20 Listed Sun's "Save Our Bets" Novices' Chase - 3m1f
This looks like a good opportunity for WADE OUT to back up his chasing debut win over Wendigo.
He beat a highly regarded horse that day, and on paper, this is an easier task over a trip that he looks set to excel over. Any ease in the ground should not be an issue for Wade Out; that was his first run of the season, and he is well entitled to have learned a lot from it and improved fitness-wise, which would make him hard to beat.
Double Powerful may be the one to give him the most to do.
Saturday: The Paddy Power Gold Cup
The rain has arrived, and conditions are going to be tough, so this year's Paddy Power Gold Cup may become a slog.
Connections of last year's winner, Il Ridoto, will not be happy to see the deluge that fell on Friday, and the deteriorating conditions will hinder his chances of following up.
Two who won't mind the deepening ground are Vincenzo and JAGWAR, but a slight preference is for the Cheltenham Festival winner.
Jagwar made giant strides over fences last season, winning four of his five starts, which include two wins at Cheltenham. The only slight worries are the record of runners trying with the Paddy Power Gold Cup on their first start of the season, and the fact that he has to carry topweight.
However, he is one of the very few in this field who is open to considerable improvement, and looks set to be bang there when push comes to shove.
Saturday's Best Of The Rest
Henry de Bromhead looks set to have his customary Cheltenham winner with JULY FLOWER in the Arkle Trial. The daughter of Pastorius was an impressive winner on her chase debut, winning as she liked.
Her main rivals, Burdett Road and Be Aware, have questions to answer coming in here, and July Flower looks sure to progress. Barring accidents, she will be hard to beat on this ground.
Blockbuster Racing at Navan
Across in Navan, there is a cracking card to get through, and there are a few I see as worth siding with. Before we get onto who is worth having a bet on, all eyes will be on the returning The Yellow Clay, and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner, Kopek De Bordes, who makes his chasing debut.
In the 1:35, ACE BRANNIGAN looks to back up a taking hurdle debut win in the Grade 3 novice hurdle. The form of his maiden win has already been franked with the six-length second going on to win on his next start. He's the type that will keep on progressing, and can confirm his debut promise here.
The Grade 2 Fortria Chase sees defending Champion Chaser, Marine Nationale, make his seasonal return, but he is there to be taken on today. He won't like the ground conditions, and has to concede weight to all but one of his rivals.
Dinoblue comes into it, but this may be the time to cash in on former Champion Chaser, and two-time Fortria Chase winner CAPTAIN GUINNESS.
This has a feeling of the de Bromhead team having Captain Guinness ready to hit the ground running, as they did with Envoi Allen when winning the Grade 1 BetVictor Champion Chase.
He won't mind what the ground conditions are, and given that the race conditions considerably favour him, he is worth siding with at the prices.
Super Sunday at Cheltenham and Navan
The Troytown Chase headlines Sunday's card at Navan, while the Greatwood Hurdle will be heading the final day of Cheltenham's November Meeting.
The Troytown at Navan will be a survival of the fittest, as many will have to go deep into their reserves to get their head in front. Will The Wise looks to have been laid out for this, but he has been well found in the market.
One at a double-figure price, who will relish everything that the Troytown demands in DUNBOYNE. Having lost his way for Gordon Elliott, he was moved to Ian Donoghue last season, and the ten-year-old hasn't looked back since winning two of his four starts for his new stable.
He was fourth in the Irish Grand National, and comes here on the back of a more than satisfactory run at Cheltenham in October, and now with that run under his belt on ground and a track that will suit him, Dunboyne looks worth playing each way.
Back at Cheltenham, the Greatwood Hurdle looks ultra competitive, and it's hard to rule out many. Dan Skelton's Mirabad has been well backed in the lead-up to the race, and he looks to have been laid out for this race. There also wasn't much separating Celtic Dino and Alexei in their Chepstow meeting last month, but there is every chance that Alexei can get the better of Celtic Dino here.
However, both may have to settle for a minor role to SERIOUS CHALLENGE, who is looking to hit peak form in ground conditions he will relish. The Fergal O'Brien-trained five-year-old gets in here off a mark of 127, with a lot to offer.
He's a winner of three of his six hurdle starts, with his most impressive win coming on heavy ground when making the running. He made his return at Chepstow last month, where it was clear that he was going to come on considerably for that outing. Having been held up early on, he made a move into the home straight and it eventually petered out, and finished a one-paced fourth.
Now with face fitness on his side, you can expect to see him race closer to the pace. The son of Farcas is a big each-way player.
