Your correspondent didn’t cover himself in glory last weekend, having originally suggested Many Clouds as the ante-post selection for the Hennessy, and indeed to overturn Gold Cup favourite Holywell on his Carlisle return.

Time isn’t always beneficial, and the gap between Carlisle and Newbury was long enough for me to sow the seeds of doubt about Oliver Sherwood’s star. Would the son of Cloudings have his stamina stretched given such a slog in tacky going? In such a competitive event, was it an error to run him before the race closed and have him reassessed?