SPEAKING of the King George, the temptation to put a line through Bristol De Mai was strong. He is better at Haydock than he is anywhere else. He is better on soft or heavy ground than he is on the forecast good to soft ground. And he disappointed in the King George last year, on the only occasion to date on which he has raced over fences at Kempton.

But then you remember, he didn’t need soft ground at Haydock last time in the Betfair Chase. In beating Native River and Thistlecrack and Clan Des Obeaux and Might Bite, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse put up one of the best performances of his career. On good ground.