The build-up to the Cheltenham Festival always starts early, but concerns over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit have deflected much of the spotlight normally focused on National Hunt racing's equine and human stars.
This year's meeting is set to be staged behind closed doors at Prestbury Park, with Irish fans absent and a significant fall in the number of Irish-trained runners predicted.
Those trainers who do send their charges across the Irish Sea will have had to engage in a level of planning that they are accustomed to, and voyages will be costlier, as the reality of Brexit bares its teeth.
"It's a major challenge since Brexit," Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh told RTÉ's Saturday Sport.
"Horses have moved previously frequently between Ireland, England and France to race, for sale, and for breeding – 25,000 movements a year – and that was all free movement under a tripartite agreement we had between the three countries.
"Literally, you put the horse on the horsebox in one country and it travelled to the other country.
"Now, since Britain has left the EU, the horses are moving in and out of the EU each time that takes place.
"That triggers customs events, it triggers VAT events, and it triggers requirements for veterinary checks and paperwork.
"The free trade agreement was only agreed on Christmas Eve and then horses were expected to move under the new arrangement eight days later."
"Moving horses, like moving goods between Ireland and the UK, isn't going to be as straightforward as it was before"
Much of the frustration expressed by those in the sport stems from the fact that the UK, as a recent EU member, shares many guidelines and certification requirements with its neighbours as these were pan-European policies.
However, exiting the EU necessitates new paperwork and certification to validate these movements.
"Moving horses, like moving goods between Ireland and the UK, isn't going to be as straightforward as it was before," Kavanagh admitted.
Kavanagh also opined that while there will be an influx of Irish horses to the Cotswolds in March, numbers will be down on a typical year.
"I think there will be less Irish runners for the reason that we spoke about and from a Covid point of view," he said.
Despite the challenges posed last season, 330 of 370 of HRI's planned meetings went ahead, according to Kavanagh.
The stars of the jumps game may still be pointed at Cheltenham, but Irish options will prove just as attractive to many owners unwilling or possibly unable to make the trip.
"There's good racing here in Ireland as well, the Dublin Racing Festival in two weeks' time and there's Punchestown and Fairyhouse, so there are alternative options," Kavanagh added.
"I think the horses that travel will be the ones that really need to travel in the championship races and we'll work with the UK authorities to ensure the logistics of that are as simple as possible, and obviously from a Covid point of view, that it's done in accordance with all Government advice and in as safe a manner as possible."
