THE pre-Cheltenham action was sparser than it might have been, with Sandown’s big card last Saturday called off due to waterlogging. But there were a fair few performances of note, abroad and nearer to home, and on the flat as well as over jumps. The highlight of Wolverhampton’s Saturday card was the listed win of last year’s Greenham third and Guineas eighth Urban Icon, who ran to about 107 on form in beating Documenting by three quarters of a length, though a messy pace meant that the bare time came out at only 92.

There had been a remarkable win at Dundalk the evening before for Sceptical under a big weight in the five-furlong handicap by six and a half lengths, the Denis Hogan-trained gelding now having won three of his four starts and rated 114 after this one.