THE Gold Cup was rendered less competitive by the late defection of Vautour to the previous day’s Ryanair Chase, a decision which was more than a little controversial.

To be fair to owner Rich Ricci, he will not have been the only one to have stated something with unjustified certainty at one of the plethora of preview nights, though his remarks were always likely to be taken more seriously than most.

Be that as it may, Vautour won the Ryanair with authority and in a good time (168 timefigure), if one lagging behind that achieved by Don Cossack 24 hours later.

The Ryanair Chase was run in a time around 7.0s quicker than Empire Of Dirt’s smart handicap win carrying 13lb less later on the card, though that had more than a bit to do with the steady pace in the latter.

The Ryanair looks solid and classy form – with the placed horses, Valseur Lido and Road To Riches, earning figures of 160 and 159 respectively – and Vautour has already shown he can make things uncomfortable for Don Cossack when speed counts for at least as much as stamina. Let us hope the two meet again in the future.