LAST week it was Dynaste and Champagne West and Present View, this week it is Al Ferof and Shutthefrontdoor and probably More Of That. These are high-class horses and high-profile defections from the Cheltenham Festival.

It is always a shame when you hear that a high-class horse is out, these are the Olympics, you want the best to be there, competing against each other. We are getting into the red zone now though, when you don’t have time to recover even from a minor setback. It’s eggshell-treading time in National Hunt yards all over Britain and Ireland.