Wealth warning - the phoney war is starting....

Ok so there's the AON / Tote Gold Trophy meeting and maybe the Racing Post Chase meeting but by and large we're now about to enter the4 week pre-Cheltenham period where anything with Fesutal aspirations has seen a racecourse for the last time prior to the Festival. The form is all there but there is much speculation and rumour to fill the gap left by lack of racecourse appearances.

Then you have the Festival Preview Evenings.

IMO these are great for getting the banter going and the juices flowing but for finding winners? Do me a favour! Of course there are the rare and shining gems but trainers at these events will always over-rate their own charges and we, the punters, will arguably have a better overall handle on the form and certainly a more dispassionate one. Journalists and Pro-Punters at these eveings may have their opinions clouded by their own punts and whilst the clamour for a 'banker' is loud as ever, 'value' rarely gets a mention.

Also the handicaps and lesser are rarely even considered.

Finally, though I hate to say it, this forum will probably become a hive of gossip, counter-rumour, contributors betting with their dix and sundry animals being described as a 'machine' only for the 'machine' in question to be proven a Sinclair C5 by the time the Grand Annual is over on the Friday.

It's all lovely stuff and I wouldn't miss it for the world - the speculation, the anticipation, the wild, the innocent and the E-Street Shuffle - but get your wallet out at your peril between now and the decs or Festival Tuesday!