BALLYANDY was promoted to the top of most ante-post lists for the Cheltenham Bumper after he landed the finale at Newbury on Saturday, and that was an understandable course of action.

There was a lot to like about his performance. Visually, it was impressive. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse travelled like the most likely winner from a long way out, he hit the front a half a mile from home and he galloped all the way to the line. He only beat six rivals, but five of them were previous winners and three of them were unbeaten under Rules (if you count Gayebury’s first-past-the-post at Ffos Las as a win) going into Saturday’s race. (Runner-up Positively Dylan also ran a nice race.) And the winner was conceding 4lb and 10lb and 14lb to his rivals.

This was probably a really strong bumper. It often is. Indeed, it is difficult to find another bumper in Britain before Cheltenham that has been as strong historically. Mad Max won it in 2008. Al Ferof won it in 2010. Shutthefrontdoor beat Village Vic in it in 2012, Definitly Red beat Tea For Two in it in 2014 and Barters Hill beat Buveur D’Air and Altios in it last year.

Natural inclination is to regard the Cheltenham Bumper as a benefit gig for the Irish, introduced to the meeting in 1992 to ensure that we would have at least one winner at the Festival and that, therefore, we would continue to go, and bring our local-economy-boosting punters with us.

However, three of the last six winners were trained in Britain, and, last year, quite astonishingly and a little bit rudely, British-trained horses filled the first four places. The British horses have to be taken seriously these days, and Ballyandy is a worthy favourite.