HISTORY tells us there is rarely such a thing as a Cheltenham Festival banker.

Many, apart from the extraordinary freak of nature Big Buck’s, are sunk without trace to the glee of bookmakers nationwide.

Exactly a year ago to the day, their satchels were bursting at the seams as the well-backed favourite and Gwent’s big hope Cue Card trailed in a well-beaten fourth in the opening top-class race for novices.

Roll on to 2012 and the horse who began life bounding around some of our most beautiful countryside faces two familiar old foes in the first and third that day, Al Ferof and Sprinter Sacre.

The talented trio have made an impressive start to their new discipline of steeplechasing, picking up several races each in good style.

Sprinter Sacre’s demolition job of his rivals has gone down in many a notebook and he is strongly fancied to get the cocksure pairing of Henderson and Geraghty off to a flyer.

They have been extremely vocal, and rightly so, at pointing to this one’s chances, given his exuberant appetite for the larger obstacles and his runaway victory over former favourite for this race Peddlers Cross.

His chief market rival Al Ferof hails from the Nicholls yard, recently hit by a bout of coughing.

In my opinion, the cloud that hung over the Ditcheat stable is still lingering, given the substandard weekend performances of the likes of Michel Le Bon, Sire Collonges and most recently the well-backed Marty’s Mission on Saturday.

The Arkle seems Sprinter Sacre’s to lose and his biggest threat is his over enthusiasm which could mean he is running on empty up the famous Cheltenham hill.

One who will not mind that, however, is former Festival winner Menorah, and he is of interest each-way.

Although his jumping has left a lot to be desired in recent starts, the West Country raider comes alive at Prestbury Park.

Decent ground, extra schooling and the expected fast pace could lead to the seven-year-old’s best chasing performance yet.

Despite the slight form of some of the Nicholls yard, I retain the faith in Zarkandar, who goes to battle in an ultra-competitive renewal of the Champion Hurdle.