With just over seven weeks to go to the start of the Cheltenham Festival, a crucial few weeks looms for a host of the country’s star jumpers in their respective disciplines.

A series of high-profile fixtures at Leopardstown and elsewhere, which begin this weekend, will go a long way towards determining a definitive pecking order in various spheres.

Even a number of Prestbury Park’s championship events have a very open look to them, so the next month will be pivotal in shaping the prospects of a great many Cheltenham hopefuls.

Perhaps most intriguing of all are the various novice hurdling divisions which have a particularly open look to them this year and this looks a worthwhile division to explore this week.

In recent years a challenger from this side of the Irish Sea has, by this stage, established himself as the clear forerunner for Supreme Novices Hurdle glory, but it is quite the opposite this time.

Last weekend’s Punchestown Grade 2 winner Any Second Now is a tremendous long-term prospect and despite his relative lack of experience, Ted Walsh’s charge must be considered a leading light of the novice division. There is definitely more to come from him, but it would come as no surprise if he were to come into his own over further.

Another lightly raced sort to capture the imagination is the Willie Mullins-trained Cilaos Emery. He won a Punchestown bumper on his only start last season and he then turned in a very taking effort to land a Navan maiden hurdle just prior to Christmas. That form has been franked by the runner-up Joey Sasa and the style with which this victory was achieved was quite striking. This five-year-old might well emerge as the pick of the two milers.

In terms of the staying novices, Gordon Elliott’s Death Duty is the standout performer having gone unbeaten in four outings, the most recent of which saw him claim a Grade 1 victory at Naas earlier in the month. At this stage connections look to be leaning towards the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle and his position as the standout favourite for that race is a worthy one.

By contrast the Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle is very open. The high-class bumper horse Invitation Only mightn’t just have given his true running when he was third to Death Duty at Navan last month and he remains a very interesting candidate for this race. Another to keep in mind here is Monalee, who chased home Death Duty in the same Navan race.

The juvenile hurdlers are a fascinating bunch. Meri Devie, who was thought good enough to run at Group 1 level on the flat in France, impressed in winning her maiden hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas when her opponents included the English St Leger third Housesofparliament. Indeed, Willie Mullins’ observation that there could be major improvement to come from her following that outing was a notable one.

TOP NOTCH

The aforementioned Housesofparliament could yet make his presence felt at a high level as a juvenile while Dinaria Des Obeaux looked potentially top notch when winning a Cork maiden by 29 lengths a month ago. A clash between all three in next month’s Spring Juvenile Hurdle will be revelatory.

Meanwhile Mullins has a very strong hand in the Trull House Stud Mares Novices Hurdle. Airlie Beach has already won a Grade 1 against geldings, Lets Dance was especially impressive at Leopardstown last month while Augusta Kate was in the process of giving Death Duty quite a test when she came down at the last in the Naas Grade 1 won by Death Duty. Any one of that trio would be a formidable contender for the meeting’s newest addition.