IT’S been a week that announced the coming of autumn and Champions Weekend and the flat stars await next weekend. It’s also just three weeks to the first of the point-to-points.

Following the pattern of recent seasons, many handlers will be holding hopes that the three-year-old currently going through his preparation will go on to reap rewards in the sales ring. Thoughts went in that direction mid-week when the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Champagne Present went off favourite for the fourth time in a row in a Southwell hurdle and again proved disappointing.