This week I’ve been at the Cheltenham Festival, talking to as many people as possible and encouraging them to go north.

Not that there’s anything particularly wrong with the racing in the South. Quite the reverse – this year’s Festival has been one of the most enjoyable for several seasons. But when the final race is over, the inevitable inquest will commence: What were the greatest successes? What were the failures? And what steps are required to restore the diminishing crowds at jump racing’s most important race meeting.

To be honest, there aren’t many things that we do a lot better in the North. Snow perhaps… When they said it had snowed at Cheltenham on Wednesday, I looked at the photos and scoffed. We do snow so much better in Scotland. We do the best snow – proper white stuff that coats the fields and weighs on branches. Not that we want any of it in the foreseeable future…

Excitingly, for a short while on Tuesday, Myretown’s win in the Ultima Chase put the North on an equal footing in the Prestbury Cup:  Ireland 1, England 1, Scotland 1.

Myretown’s victory came on the back of a winning run at Kelso in February, the same track where he’d previously won his first maiden hurdle. There are further chances for Scottish trained horses on Friday too: Cracking Rhapsody attempts to scoop the £100,000 bonus for winning Kelso’s Morebattle Hurdle by following up in the County Hurdle, while Ahoy Senor has a good each way chance at 50/1 or more in the Gold Cup – carrying the same red silks as Myretown.

The success of horses from a range of different trainers at Cheltenham is key to the meeting’s success. Because, while thousands of racegoers will be delighted to witness history when Gallopin Des Champs (this week’s selection) scores his third win in the Gold Cup, the truth is that the lack of competition to Willie Mullins in the last few years has become just a little bit boring.

That’s not to say that there’s any lack of appreciation for the greatness of Willie’s achievements – it’s merely an indicator that the rest of the racing World has to up its game. Which is precisely why we’re encouraging every one to go north…

The Ladbrokes Go North Weekend, supported by The Racing Post, features nine Go North Series Finals staged across three racedays starting at Musselburgh on Friday 21 March and continuing at Kelso on Saturday and Carlisle on Sunday. Devised to reward the connections of horses that fall short of championship quality, the £30,000 handicap finals give northern racehorse owners and trainers a valuable target to aim at – creating competitive tension and an exciting spectacle for racegoers and punters.

Perhaps an improving runner or two will go on from the Go North Series Finals to appear at next year’s Festival, or maybe the winning owners will reinvest their winnings in a Festival winner of the future. Either way, the Ladbrokes Go North Weekend is our way of supporting the future of the Cheltenham Festival and Jump racing as a whole.