THERE were some telling quotes from connections in the aftermath of the Hennessy, with Alan King in particular admitting his decision to come to Newbury without a previous run had done for the chances of Smad Place and Midnight Prayer and that pair shaped much better than the distance they were beaten. The RSA runner-up is in the King George, and wouldn’t be a forlorn hope, but the obvious contest for him would be what was once the SGB Chase at Ascot, a venue where he went particularly well as a hurdler.

It’s Midnight Prayer who I’m most interested in, however, as it appears that he was more backward that his stablemate, and he wasn’t at all punished in the closing stages, eventually finishing last of the nine who completed.