THERE wasn’t much between Harambe, Quoi De Neuf, and Monsieur Lecoq when they met in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham last month – with Zanza, Countister, and Mohaayed back in the field – and there may not be much between them again today.

Quoi De Neuf raced around the inside the whole way that day, probably on the worst of the ground, while Monsieur Lecoq raced freely early on, and Mohaayed is one for one at Ascot, and is back down to a handicap mark of 145, the mark off which he won this race last year. There are lots of cases to be made.