THERE were some telling quotes from connections in the aftermath of the Hennessy, with Alan King in particular admitting his decision to come to Newbury without a previous run had done for the chances of Smad Place and Midnight Prayer and that pair shaped much better than the distance they were beaten. The RSA runner-up is in the King George, and wouldn’t be a forlorn hope, but the obvious contest for him would be what was once the SGB Chase at Ascot, a venue where he went particularly well as a hurdler.

It’s Midnight Prayer who I’m most interested in, however, as it appears that he was more backward that his stablemate, and he wasn’t at all punished in the closing stages, eventually finishing last of the nine who completed.

The run will bring him closer to a peak and I find it hard to believe that the handicapper has seen fit to drop him to a mark of 139. That makes him look very well treated for the Coral Welsh National and I’d not be looking elsewhere for the winner of that contest.

The other who I thought fared better than the result was Djakadam, who was carrying plenty of condition, and travelled well until either finding his stamina stretched or blowing up. He’s still only a shell of the horse he will be in the fullness of time and I’m not sure his prospects for the future took much of a dent on Saturday. Those holding Gold Cup vouchers at fancy prices are advised to start sticking them back together, given he has plenty of time and opportunity to re-establish his credentials as a candidate for major honours.

The Lexus is an obvious place to start that rebuilding process, and with bookmakers and punters alike blinded by recency bias, those taking a long view can prosper.