IT’S an often-used racing remark that top National Hunt performers returning to action may not be as good as they were the season before, if they had a hard race or two - it being commonly stated: “Ah the Gold Cup leaves a mark. They are never the same again.”

Yes, three and a quarter miles takes a supreme effort, but it’s usually ignored, and worth noting especially this week, that so many of the best flat horses, asked considerably less strenuous questions, don’t see out their planned season to the full.