THE World Hurdle picture was cloudy before last weekend, with 10/1 and more available about every conceivable contender, and the weekend’s events served only to cloud the picture further still.

Cole Harden and Whisper, both high in ante-post lists, were both beaten by Thistlecrack in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury last Saturday, which brings Colin Tizzard’s horse into the (cloudy) picture and leaves the two beaten horses with a little more to prove now than appeared to be the case before Saturday.