PLENTY has been said and written about last Saturday’s Ascot Chase by now. It was some race. It had all the ingredients.

It was run at an unforgiving pace from flagfall, it was won by a progressive and top-class young steeplechaser who could be anything, and who beat a much-loved stalwart, who ran one of the races of his life, into second place, and the winning time was very fast. And there was the emotion of it all, ’s gallantry and Malcolm Jefferson fondly remembered.