WHAT a fabulous horse Un De Sceaux is! At an age when most normal ones are on the wane, or have packed in entirely, it could even be argued that he is better than ever judged on his comprehensive defeat of Min and others in the Boylesport Champion Chase on the opening day of this year’s Punchestown Festival.

With ground conditions rather more testing than anticipated from the outset, judged on times, and deteriorating significantly as the rain fell, it is not easy to put a precise figure on this effort. But I have gone for 171, with both he and Min (166 basic timefigure) getting a further 1lb upgrade for their sectionals. The sectionals also show that everything behind finished slowly as the solid pace took its toll.