Mares Hurdle Queen Quevega aiming for six of the best at Cheltenham 2014

Since she first turned up to defend her Mares Hurdle crown in 2010, Quevega has been arguably the standing-dish of Festival standing-dishes and she’ll be one of the shortest favourites among the Cheltenham Festival 2014 odds.

The horse widely known as the wondermare will be attempting to win the Mares Hurdle for the sixth time in succession having proved herself peerless among her own sex over the last half-decade, but she’ll be 10 years old by the time race fans are pondering their Cheltenham 2014 tips.

Her one-and-a-half-length victory over Sirene D’Ainay in the 2013 renewal was the shortest margin of victory of her career in fillies-only company so there will be extra incentive for her rivals to take her on at the Festival 2014.

She’s exceptionally lightly-raced in recent years, taking in eight races across the last four campaigns and her master trainer Willie Mullins will be sure to have her in ideal condition ahead of her annual Cheltenham tilt in 2014.

Nonetheless, her backers at last year’s festival will arguably need a drop of Dutch courage before unloading the cash satchels on Mullins’ win-machine at the Festival in 2014.

Victory seemed genuinely implausible when she arrived at the bend into the finishing straight last year and punters will have been watching through their fingers as she gobbled up the hill under the peerless Ruby Walsh.