ED CHAMBERLIN: Skelton strikes with Langer Dan and Unexpected Party… but the home team MUST do better, with Irish horses running amok so far at Cheltenham

That was a difficult day. It may seem unusual for you to say something, but it’s impossible not to acknowledge that British racing is having a nosebleed at the halfway point at Cheltenham.

When you’re in my position, you want to celebrate the brilliance of trainer Willie Mullins (more on that in a moment), but there was a moment early in Wednesday’s card when things felt flat, as the Irish horses went wild and their English rivals almost disappeared. Without a trace.

Thank goodness for Dan Skelton, who doubled up with Langer Dan and Unexpected Party, taking over from Kim Bailey on Tuesday and providing some solace to the home team. But we really need big horses from English stables to run big races in championship events. It has to change.

However, it won’t change anytime soon. Mullins is doing things that probably won’t be seen again on the jumps. This is not like Chelsea and Manchester City did in football, making huge investments to build fantastic squads and become dominant. In racing, the owners have decided they want to be with Mullins.

Who would not? Their track record, especially over the last decade, is amazing and people who are successful in different fields want to be successful when they go into sports. No one is better positioned to give it to him than Mullins.

He will add to his century of winners before the Festival ends and I hope Jade De Grugy is the one to take him to room 101. She runs in the Honeysuckle colors and I have told anyone who will listen that she is my best match bet.

This is my main gaming day of the week, so I’m keeping my fingers firmly crossed. In my old job in football, I used to have difficulty presenting games that Southampton lost that could be similar today. I will do my best to remain neutral, but don’t make me do it.

When the Mares Novice Hurdle comes around (4:50), I’m usually in the car heading back to my hotel. I have a routine of watching the latest race on Racing TV in the bathroom with a glass of something to pick me up and then heading straight to the ITV production meeting to start the next day.

However, I will break that routine, since this race is fast-paced. It looks like a shootout between Gordon Elliott and Mullins. Elliott talks about his mare Brighterdaysahead as a star of the future but they say the same about Jade De Grugy. Ruby Walsh, especially, speaks of her in glowing terms.

But there is a third element to this enigma. Dysart Enos is a great player and if she wins, she would expect her jockey Paddy Brennan to retire on the spot. There could be many tears in the winners’ enclosure and this is the biggest day in trainer Fergal O’Brien’s career.

He runs Crambo in the Stayers’ Hurdle and how the stable could do with a change of fortune following the death of Highland Hunter on Tuesday. Crambo has young legs on his side and while a win for veteran Paisley Park would bring the house down, he may lack energy.

Zip is not something Gray Dawning lacks, one of my favorite horses in training. The broader public could fall in love with this beautiful and extravagant gray today. He crashed out second to last here in December and still almost beat Ginny’s Destiny. Paul Nicholls exudes confidence in Ginny’s Destiny, but will have to wait for Ryanair Chase (2.10) to kick in – I’m sure Stage Star, which is owned by a big syndicate paying just £60 per share, will win.

I’m also confident that Gray Dawning will get revenge on the Turners (1:30) and give Skelton’s yard its third win of the week. A fourth could come in the Pertemps Hurdle, which is always a difficult puzzle to solve, but I can’t resist doing it.

Le Milos is ridden by Harry Skelton for his brother Dan, the best handicap hurdle target trainer in the business. Look how well prepared Langer Dan was yesterday. Le Milos had great class in hurdles and his profile in this competition fascinates me.

But guess who offers the alternative? That’s right, Mullins. Icare Allen attracted a lot of attention during qualifying at Aintree in November and was immediately ruled out for this. Keep him by your side.

Ed Chamberlin is a Sky Bet ambassador