CHELTENHAM with all its unforgettable triumphs and crushing setbacks can surely never have had a more heartbreaking climax than the one on Saturday which saw Grand National hero Many Clouds wear down new kid on the block Thistlecrack in the Cotswold Chase, only to collapse and die almost immediately afterwards. (The autopsy revealed cause of death as “severe pulmonary haemorrhage.”)

The announcement left a disbelieving army of jumping enthusiasts stunned and silent.