TWO past Cheltenham winners had their final warm-ups for this year’s Festival at Newbury last Saturday, and both emerged victorious. It would be a difficult man to please who wanted more, surely. I am a difficult man, or so I have been told.

Altior’s win in the Game Spirit Chase ultimately came comfortably, but only after a slight scare along the way as he took a while to respond. His three and a quarter lengths beating of Sceau Royal was very nearly the same margin to that rival as when he won his second Queen Mother Champion Chase in March, with Sceau Royal in third.