Yet they are the very horses most often asked to charge full tilt at a fence in the closing stages because their jockeys frequently adopt a cautious approach in the early stages, leaving them with energy to spare for a late sprint.

We saw a good example of this in the Grade 1 Dr P.J. Moriarty Novice Chase at Leopardstown where the three runners engaged in a mad dash between the last two fences which left them with little in reserve for the run from the last.