The big week has arrived and for my team here at The Bell House it means a pretty hectic timetable, one almost certainly involving trips to Stratford, Cheltenham, Huntingdon and Cheltenham on consecutive days.

It’s the kind of schedule we live for and a winner or two along the way would be just the ticket! 

The Cheltenham Festival is set to kick off with two days on the Old course, where the heavy recent rain means they’ll almost certainly open up on Soft ground. 

Those conditions certainly won’t inconvenience my day one runner, Ice Cool Champs, who lines up under Adam Wedge in the Ultima Handicap Chase (14.50, Tues). 

A lovely big scopey horse, he won well for us first time out at Wetherby back in January, before going up in trip when tackling the Devon National at Exeter last time out. 

His mid-division finish might not sound very spectacular, but he got a bang on the knee and did well under the circumstances to even complete the three and a half miles. 

He had a few days off afterwards but has come back well and worked nicely towards the end of last week.

I know he’ll be massive odds, but he’s a talented animal and at nine years of age is in his prime, running in the colours of sporting and ambitious owners. 

In off exactly ten stone he has a small each way chance in what is always a red-hot handicap, though as I always say, you’ve got to be in it to win it and there’s excellent prize money on offer for the places. 

Elsewhere on day one, I’ll obviously be present at Cheltenham for the feature Champion Hurdle (15.30), a contest in which it caught my eye to see last year’s winning stable, that of qualified farrier Gavin Cromwell, back on the premises with the improver Darver Star. 

Second in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out behind Honeysuckle, I wonder if he might threaten another upset on this occasion. That’s where my fiver would be going at 12/1, though I have to confess to a degree of sentiment there as my father Richard was also a farrier before taking out a trainer’s license, one he held for 29 years, a spell which included two wins at the Cheltenham Festival.

Also on Tuesday, if Darver Star was to run well then surely Honeysuckle would be in with a major shout of chinning Benie Des Dieux in the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle (16.10).

I was a little surprised to see connections not go for the big one and try Honeysuckle in the Champion itself, but instead she features in a fascinating clash of two star females. 

By three years Honeysuckle is the younger of the two, and I just love the way she goes about her job. Her rider, the irrepressible Rachael Blackmore, described her as “special” after her most recent win, high praise indeed. 

On Wednesday I’ll be at Huntingdon, but from a distance I’m hoping to see Philip Hobbs land the Queen Mother Champion Chase (15.30) courtesy of his Cheltenham specialist, the JP McManus owned Defi Du Seuil. 

The vibes around Altior’s hat-trick bid and his race to be fit after being reported lame aren’t promising, and at any rate perhaps this is the year the crown would have changed hands. 

Defi Du Seuil has proven via his victories in the Shloer, Tingle Creek and Clarence House Chases that he’s an elite performer, one who already has a brace of Festival successes on his CV. 

Chacun Pour Soi will make this interesting given he beat Defi Du Seuil at Punchestown in May, but Defi Du Seuil has improved since then and this is his stage. As a racing fan that’s who I’ll be cheering for anyway. 

It’s back to Cheltenham for yours truly on Thursday, looking forward to running Happy Diva in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (16.10). Solid, tough and consistent, she never lets us down and won’t mind what the ground is. 

She’s been a fantastic flagbearer for the yard this season, not least her success in November’s BetVictor Gold Cup. 

That afternoon it’ll be a shock if anything is good enough to deny Paisley Park a second victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle (15.30), though looking at the race I thought last year’s Ballymore winner City Island might be one to bag a bit of place money. 

Much will have happened by the time Cheltenham Gold Cup day sweeps us all up on Friday, with the big race due off at 15.30. 

How you go about trying to separate Al Boum Photo, Santini, Delta Work, Lostintranslation, Clan Des Obeaux and Kemboy is anyone’s guess, though I for one will be rooting for the runner from the small West of Ireland stable, Presenting Percy. 

Pat Kelly’s star lit up Cheltenham two years running when taking the Pertemps of 2017 plus the RSA of 2018. To my eyes they were two of the great stories of recent seasons and though he probably has it all to do now, ‘Percy’ loves Cheltenham and might have another big one in him. I’d love to see it. 

Above all though, fingers crossed all horses and riders come home safe and sound. It’s a magic week but nothing is more important than those out on the track returning unscathed. 

Seven days to go until the greatest show on turf and fingers crossed we are set fair for a Cheltenham Festival which suffers zero interruptions from the current outbreak of coronavirus.

With any luck the relevant health authorities can get a strangle hold on the issue and ensure as few people as possible are affected, but in the meantime we continue as usual at the yard, doing our best to control the factors within our grasp and run as well as possible for the good of both horses and owners.

It’s obviously concerning from a sporting angle to see the likes of Serie A football in Italy as well Six Nations rugby having to make changes, while the looming threat to the Olympics in Japan would be a real blow. 

As I updated in last week’s bulletin, in our corner of North Herefordshire our stable star Happy Diva continues to thrive as we get her ready for her assignment in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate a week on Thursday (4.10pm).

She could be joined by Storm Control, an improving seven year old who is currently number 34 on the list of entries for the penultimate race on Tuesday’s opening card, the listed Northern Trust Company Novices’ Handicap Chase (4.50pm). 

‘Storm’ won handsomely at Doncaster just before Christmas and has had valid excuses for running below that level the last twice.

It’ll be touch and go to see whether he squeezes into the final field at Cheltenham, plus he has options at other tracks including an entry at Hereford this coming Saturday (4.05pm), but his owners are fun loving and ambitious and would leap at the chance to have a crack at a big prize at the Cheltenham Festival if it looks as though we’re going to creep into the final field for the Festival option. Watch this space!

In other news, a belated welcome back to the consummate professional which is champion jockey Richard Johnson.

Four winners from his first seven rides since being off just 37 days with a broken arm suffered in a fall at Exeter made us all feel like he’d never been away, and though he’s got a gap of 19 winners to try and make up on Brian Hughes in the next few weeks, if anyone can, it’s him.

Based just down the road from me in our part of the world, Richard is a giant of the sport and won’t be giving up his jockeys’ title lightly, of that you can be certain. He’s as hungry and driven now as he was 20 years ago.

He’s ridden multiple winners for both myself and my Dad down the years, including a hat-trick of Grade 2 chases on our stable favourite, the evergreen and much loved Top Gamble.

Remarkably those successes came in three different countries, via victories at Ayr, Newbury and Fairyhouse. Great days all of them and we are always happy to have him on our side.

Let’s hope both men stay fit and injury free and we get to see a great tussle for the title right up until the final day of the horse racing jumps season.

Storm Control, Brigadier Bob and Sinakar have made a good start to the season at The Bell House. Storm Control opened his account at Huntingdon back in May while Brigadier Bob followed up a second on his chase debut with a win in October. Sinakar found his form at Southwell and followed up at Uttoxeter under Richard Patrick.  All of these horses are set to be out again soon along with many more to look forward to.

The race of the season at Hereford takes place at 5pm on Tuesday 26th March.  Kerry is sending a string of four horses for the mile and a half flat contest in aid of St Michael’s. Kerry will be riding Top Gamble alongside Jordan Devlin on Sir Will, Justin Bond on Zara Hope and Belinda Rose on Sinakar.  Full dress rehearsals were in operation at the yard over the weekend and if you would like to sponsor or come along and support us, more details can be found here: www.justgiving.com/kerryleeracing 

We are looking for another good rider to join the team for the coming jumps season, experience in racing not essential. Vacancy also available for non-riding yard work.  Plenty of opportunity to progress and go racing.  Accommodation provided. Please apply kerry@kerrylee.co.uk or 07968 242663.

Kris Spin gave us all reason to grin at Kelso on Saturday.  Kris Spin and Richard Patrick enjoyed the attritional conditions in the £40,000 Edinburgh Gin Handicap Hurdle at the Scottish Borders track and powered home to beat Donna’s Diamond by just over two lengths. Kris Spin’s own prize of a bag of carrots headed back to Herefordshire on Saturday night with him and will accompany him on a long and well earned summer holiday.  At the age of 10, Kris Spin has run to a career high mark of 140 having won at Ayr, Fontwell and Kelso this season.

Continuing his excellent recent form, seven-year-old Yeats gelding Sir Will made it two wins from three starts when powering clear to win in convincing fashion at Ascot on Sunday. Driven out by Richard Patrick for a four and a half length triumph over nearest pursuer Salmanazar, Sir Will was completing a notable double on the day, to add to the success of Happy Diva earlier in the afternoon. Sir Will, who race in the colours of West Coast Haulage, has thrived since being stepped back up in trip and may well take a trip to Scotland later in April. Happy Diva landed her third victory of the season and is now rated a career best 145 after winning the Geotech Novices’ Chase by a length from Adrien du Pont.

Happy Diva put up a fine display of jumping at Ludlow to win the EBF/Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Mares’ Novices Chase in fine style under Richard Patrick. Happy Diva, by King’s Theatre, has had a tough start to her novice chasing campaign when coming up against the likes of Ms Parfois and Jonniesofa on her chase debut. She very much deserved this win at Ludlow and Will and Nicky Roseff’s filly may now head to Huntingdon for the Listed Lady Protectress Chase in February.