IT is usually difficult for the juvenile hurdlers of one season - correctly insulated from their elders through a comprehensive programme for high-class juveniles - when they step into open company and take on their elders the following season.

It is not a coincidence that only one five-year-old has won the Champion Hurdle since See You Then won the first of his three in 1985, and that no five-year-old has won the Irish Champion Hurdle since the Jim Bolger-trained Chirkpar won it in 1992.

There has never been a five-year-old winner of the World Hurdle in its current guise, not since it was introduced to the Cheltenham Festival in 1972, and the last five-year-old winner of the World Series Hurdle at Punchestown was Paddy’s Return, and he won it in 1997.

Early indications were that last season’s class of juvenile hurdlers were going to struggle too, like the previous generations that had gone before them. The two flagbearers for the classs of 2015/16, Ivanovich Gorbatov and Apple’s Jade, were both beaten on their seasonal debuts.

Footpad did win two races in France, a Grade 3 contest and the Grade 1 Prix Alain du Breil, and he was only beaten a head in the Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier, but all three races were confined to four-year-olds. Sceau Royal won, Diego Du Charmil won but, again, all in four-year-olds’ races.

Even the handicappers were starting to look poorly handicapped. Leoncavallo was well beaten in the Greatwood Hurdle, Tommy Silver was well beaten in the Welsh Champion Hurdle, Diego Du Charmil was well beaten in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Ascot

Then things started to turn for the four-year-olds. Sceau Royal won the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, giving weight to his elders. Let’s Dance won a listed mares’ hurdle at Punchestown, the only four-year-old in the race. Who Dares Wins carried top-weight to victory in the Gerry Feilden Hurdle at Newbury.

Then Apple’s Jade ran Irving to a nose in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle, and went back to Fairyhouse a week later and got the better of Vroum Vroum Mag in that Hatton’s Grace Hurdle thriller.

Even some of the top juvenile hurdlers from last season who have gone chasing this term are getting in on the act now. Clan Des Obeaux won a Grade 2 novices’ chase at Newbury, Connetable won an incident-packed beginners’ chase at Wincanton on Tuesday, Frodon won the feature race at Cheltenham on Saturday, the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup. Recent evidence suggests that last season’s juvenile hurdlers may actually have been above average, and it will be interesting to monitor their progress now through the season.