For many punters with long memories (or maybe just me), Cheltenham's November meeting heralds the real start of the new National Hunt season.
In the days before year-round jumps racing, Flat racing always held sway until the November Handicap was done and dusted and the following week Cheltenham ushered in the dark nights, the cold days and the big Saturday afternoon steeplechases.
For 35 years, the showpiece two and a half mile chase was the Mackeson Gold Cup.
And though the weekend has been extended with cross-country races, it will be the race now known as the Paddy Power Gold Cup that will dominate the attention.
The race remains the same but the winners have changed over the years.
The experienced campaigner was a regular figure in the winner's enclosure with Grand National hero Gay Trip, Half Free and the high-class Bradbury Star all winning the race twice.
But it's more than 30 years now since a horse older than nine won the race and it's become a speciality of the young second-season chaser.
Finding an improving novice has been art form at the Pipe stable and it's no coincidence that six of the last 10 winners have come form Nicholashayne.
Even less surprising is the oldest of the sextet was eight-year-old Shooting Light while Cyfor Malta was just five when he carried 11st 3lbs to glory in 1998.
It's difficult to believe David Pipe will not have something lined up again this season though his representatives are not to be found near the top of the betting market.
That honour belongs to champion trainer Paul Nicholls and his second-season novice Silverburn.
Despite his runaway success in recent years, Nicholls has never won this race though he has plenty of runners in the frame.
But Silverburn's cramped odds stem largely from the trainer's view that he is well handicapped despite several rather disappointing efforts last term.
He went out like a light in the Royal and SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but runner-up Roll Along franked the form with victory at Ascot earlier this month and Silverburn has four furlongs less to travel which should suit him and a weight pull of a stone if Carl Llewelyn's chaser reopposes.
At this stage, my feeling is that he living off the reputation of full brother Denman and needs to show his own class on the course.
Stable-mate Noland seems to be more of the real deal and two and half miles looks his ideal trip.
But he is set to carry 11st 9lbs in the long handicap and may not necessarily take his chance as Nicholls could also field Oslot and Predateur.
Nicky Henderson took this prize with Fondmort in 2003 and he has a strong hand here with Barbers Shop, Fleet Street and Jack The Giant.
Jack The Giant may prefer faster ground and a flatter track but the other pair ran stormers in second and fourth in the Jewson Novices Chase at last season's Festival
Barbers Shop then strolled to victory at Newbury and still looks to have plenty of potential especially off his current handicap mark while Fleet Street went down to Nudge and Nurdle over three miles at Perth and may require a stiffer test of stamina.
They were both behind Finger Onthe Pulse in the Jewsons and Tom Taaffe's contender has also improved winning at Limerick in October and running Noland to 12 lengths at Down Royal recently.
However, he now has to give a fair bit of weight to his beaten rivals and may not get the run of the race so well this time.
Possol, who split the two Henderson horses, warmed up for this race with a spin over hurdles at Chepstow and his shrewd trainer is adept at preparing one for the big race.
Even a subsequent defeat to Oslot can be remedied by a potential 15lbs turnaround in the weights.
The man doing most to challenge Nicholls' all-conquering march is Alan King and he runs Ouzbeck.
He can into the punters' radar after slamming Yes Sir here last month but he is barely out of novice class and faces a massive step up in class.
Imperial Commander is prominent in the market despite being off the course for 11 months after trailing in behind Joe Lively over three miles.
He had earlier won two novice chases at Cheltenham though the calibre of his opponents was not the highest and he also needs to step up again.
Tony McCoy has a choice of rides and he might rely on Don't Push It, who fell when well fancied for the Racing Post Plate at the Festival then trailed in over hurdles at Aintree and is still to justify his reputation.
The Pipe team have quantity rather than quality this time with Vodka Bleu, who might prefer further and lightly-raced fast ground specialist I'm So Lucky.
But keep an eye out for Acambo, who was not far short of Champion Hurdle class over hurdles and was being prepared for a tilt at the Arkle 12 months ago when a bad fall set him back.
Off 10st 4lbs, he could be a Pipe steamer that the public latch onto.
In a typically wide open race, it's also worth giving a mention to Bible Lord, who is an each-way shout off a feather weight, Maljimar, who remains relatively unexposed and Stan, who does seem pretty exposed but rarely runs a bad race on any type of ground.
But last season's Jewsons rivals seem to have the weight and the profile of the likely winner of this contest.
Preview posted at 1700GMT on 05/11/08.
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