All eyes will be on Denman in Saturday's Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury as the horse affectionately nicknamed "The Tank" returns for his seasonal reappearance looking to recapture the sparkle that made him the leading steeplechaser in 2008.

A good performance in the showpiece handicap will put the nine-year-old, trained by Paul Nicholls, firmly back on track for another mouthwatering rematch with Kauto Star in next March's Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The stablemates have dominated the big race at the Cheltenham festival for the last three years. Kauto Star won in 2007, was dethroned by Denman a year later but then recaptured his crown last March as his rival could only finish second in a lacklustre season hampered by health issues.

"He's in great form," Nicholls said, "twice the horse he was last season and we're looking forward to running."

Denman, whose return last season was delayed until February after being diagnosed with a heart problem, must carry top weight against 20 rivals on Saturday and Nicholls has cautioned against hopes of a winning return.

"When he won the Hennessy (in 2007) he was well-handicapped. He's much higher in the ratings now and my feeling -- and of course I may be wrong -- is that he will run a sound race on Saturday to finish fourth or fifth."

Nicholls is sure to have Denman fit to do himself justice and with Kauto Star making a winning return at Haydock last Saturday, Britain's leading jumps trainer can start to plot another Gold Cup showdown.

PHOTO: Sam Thomas on Denman jumps the last fence to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, March 14, 2008. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Four years ago I covered the world championships for Reuters in Helsinki and was part of a group of journalists invited by sponsors to meet the then 18-year-old Bolt, an emerging but raw talent who had already had lofty expectations bestowed on him having become world 200 metres junior champion at 15.

At an informal gathering in a lounge bar outside the Olympic stadium in the Finnish capital, Bolt sat himself down on a two-seater sofa and waited as a cluster of reporters gathered around. Not wanting to be out of ear shot and seeing that no-one had taken the seat next to the Jamaican, I spotted my
opportunity.

With a reaction time that would have graced the start of any sprint final, I zoomed towards the sofa and announced my arrival by clumsily planting one heavy foot down on top of Bolt's.

Bolt leapt to his feet in pain, hopped around for a few seconds, massaged and inspected his tender toes to make sure all five were still in working order and plonked himself back down.

Cue one very embarrassed and apologetic journalist.

Happily, for Bolt, there appeared to be no obvious injury. Happily, for me, he seemed to bear me no ill will. Well, not outwardly anyway.

I did wonder days later, after Bolt pulled up injured and finished last in the 200 metres final behind forgotten man Justin Gatlin, if I had contributed to his demise. Bolt, who had talked optimistically of his medal chances, was doing remarkably well in lane one, just half a stride behind Gatlin but 60 metres from home he put on the brakes.

Four years on Bolt has the world at his feet. On Sunday night I sat on my sofa at home and watched, like millions around the world, in awe as the lanky Jamaican smashed his own world record in Berlin.

Brazilian players have made a major impact in recent finals and with Ukraine's Shakhtar boasting five in their ranks, and Naldo lining up for their German rivals, expect the boys from South America to take centre stage.

A quick look back at previous finals this decade shows the influence Brazilians have made.

In 2003, Porto became the first team to win the trophy on the now-defunct 'silver goal' rule thanks to Brazilian Derlei's strike in extra time against Celtic.

Two years later Brazilian playmaker Daniel Carvalho played a starring role for CSKA Moscow, setting up all three of the Russian side's goals, including one for compatriot Vagner Love, in the 3-1 victory over Sporting in the Lisbon final.

In 2006, Sevilla cantered to their first UEFA Cup triumph as a goal from Brazilian Luis Fabiano set the Spaniards on their way to a one-sided 4-0 demolition of Middlesbrough in Eindhoven.

Sevilla did it again the following year in Glasgow, Adriano scoring their opening goal before fellow Brazilian Jonatas got Espanyol's equaliser in extra time in the 2-2 draw.

Shakhtar's policy of signing promising Brazilians in recent years has also paid off with the Ukraine team, owned by Russian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, one game away from their first European silverware.

Ilsinho scored a superb late winner in the semi-final second leg against Dynamo Kiev after compatriot Jadson had netted Shakhtar's first. Fernandinho scored Shakhtar's equaliser in the 1-1 draw in the first leg while Willian and Luiz Adriano have also played their part.

PHOTO: Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho controls the ball during a practice session at Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul, May 19, 2009. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Bookmakers believe victory for 7-1 favourite My Will and in-form jockey Ruby Walsh in Saturday's Grand National would cost the industry up to 100 million pounds.

Luckily for them, Walsh looks like the only real reason to back the horse.
 
The race has thrown up its share of equine superstars over the years, but in reality it is just a glorified handicap and not a race for serious gamblers to get excited about.
 
That does not stop millions of one-day-a-year punters flocking to betting shops to wager on the Aintree race.
 
Some would argue that you have more chance of getting the lottery numbers up than finding the winner from a field of 40 horses who have to jump 30 fences over the 4 1/2 mile course, likely to be made all the more gruelling on Saturday by the forecast of heavy rain in Liverpool.
 
To win the race you need a horse that has stamina, guts and determination in abundance, but most of all you need a heavy slice of luck on your side.
 
Some useful facts and figures to consider:
 
    * Just four favourites or joint favourites have won in the last 20 years
    * Six of the last 10 Grand National winners have been trained in Ireland
    * 26 of the last 30 winners have carried less than 11 stone
    * Only two grey horses have won the Grand National - The Lamb (1868 and 1871) and Nicolaus Silver (1961).
 
My Will has to carry 11st 4lbs but Walsh, oozing confidence after riding a record seven winners at last month's Cheltenham Festival, has won the big race twice on Papillon (2000) and Hedgehunter in 2006.
 
Record-breaking 13-times champion jockey Tony McCoy has chosen to ride Butler's Cabin but McCoy supporters will know that the Irishman has yet to taste success in the race.
 
For me, I like the look of the aptly-named Irish Invader, trained by the shrewd Willie Mullins and at odds of around 25-1, it should give me a run for my money.

PHOTO: Runners in the FoxHunters' Steeple Chase jump the Grand National course on the first day of the Aintree Grand National meeting in Liverpool April 2, 2009. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Credit crunch? World financial crisis? Don't you believe it. The Cheltenham Festival, the highlight of the British jumps racing calendar, starts on Tuesday and millions of pounds will be gambled over four days of high-quality action.

Forget the glamour and fashion of Royal Ascot, this is where tweed adorns the shoulders of the English gentry and the Irish travel in their droves to roar on their equine superstars.

The Gold Cup steeplechase on Friday is the highlight of 26 races across the four days and by 1530 GMT we will know if Denman's victory last year was a flash in the pan.

A monster of a horse, Denman confirmed his immense talent by vanquishing 2007 winner Kauto Star but there is little confidence in the horse 12 months on.

The vibes for a repeat victory have not been good ever since the nine-year-old underwent treatment for a heart problem in September which was followed by a lacklustre reappearance at Kempton racecourse in December.

Since then Denman's odds have drifted out to around 6-1, a tempting price for part-owner and colourful professional gambler Harry Findlay.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls holds all the aces as along with Denman, race favourite Kauto Star and last year's third Neptune Collonges line up again.

The Champion Hurdle is the highlight on the opening day with ante-post favourite Binocular set to take on four previous winners: Hardy Eustace (2004, 2005), Brave Inca (2006), Sublimity (2007) and last year's victor Katchit.

Binocular's trainer Nicky Henderson knows how to win the race, See You Then registering a hat-trick of titles in 1985, 86 and 87.

Binocular will be ridden by 13-times champion jockey Tony McCoy, who last month chalked up another milestone in his phenomenal career by celebrating his 3,000th winner over jumps.

Despite that achievement, McCoy is not the favourite to ride most winners at the Festival. That label belongs to fellow Irishman Ruby Walsh, a superb horseman in his own right who enjoys all the benefits of being stable jockey to the all-conquering Nicholls yard.

Punters can also part with their hard-earned cash on a variety of novelty bets with a certain Irish bookmaker, who will take bets on the highest recorded wind gust and the number of pints of Guiness sold throughout the duration of the festival.

PHOTO: Ruby Walsh, riding Kauto Star, clears the last fence to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival, March 16, 2007. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Will that combination produce yet another classic at the showpiece at the City of Manchester stadium?

The last 10 finals since 1998 have been largely high-scoring affairs - averaging 3.9 goals per match. Who could forget Liverpool's epic 5-4 win over Alaves, secured with a golden goal in 2001, or Porto's 3-2 victory over Celtic two years later.

Zenit, even without suspended top scorer Pavel Pogrebynak for the final, have the potential to test the best club defences.

In 16 European games the Russians  have rammed in 29 goals, an impressive tally not lost on Smith, who believes Zenit would have more than held their own had they played Champions League football this season.

Zenit will play in Europe's premier club competition next season, reward for winning the Russian title, but Advocaat must first hatch a plan to overcome a club he knows inside out having guided Rangers to two league titles between 1998 and 2002.

Rangers have found goals hard to come by since parachuting into the UEFA Cup from the Champions League, but with Spaniard Carlos Cuellar, named Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year, a rock at the back they do not concede many either.

The thousands of Rangers fans expected to pack the City of Manchester stadium won't give a hoot if the Ibrox side repeat their semi-final penalty shootout win over Fiorentina when both sides cancelled each other out and failed to come up with a goal over a turgid two legs.

The omens for goals are not good though - the only previous European final held in Manchester - the 2002-03 Champions League decider between Juventus and AC Milan at Old Trafford - finished scoreless after 120 minutes.

PHOTO: Media crews film the UEFA cup at a news conference at the City of Manchester stadium in Manchester, northern England May 13, 2008. REUTERS/Michael Dalder