THE headlines after the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase were all about the defeat of Nicky Henderson’s Altior, but the idea that the favourite’s failure to win represented some sort of mystery to be solved doesn’t match the events. The 10-year-old was typically wasteful at his fences, and his tendency to spend too long in the air is an issue which has been ignored for too long.

There was a suggestion after the race that he had scoped dirty, but his trainer was at pains to play that down, for all he felt there was something to be investigated.