IT seemed a rather strange decision when the news broke this week that Paul and Clare Rooney, who own a huge number of horses on both the flat and over jumps, had advised their trainers not to make further entries at Cheltenham.

They had already enjoyed success there with Willoughby Court but endured tragedy when Starchitect suffered a fatal injury when looking like he was about to win the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase in December 2017.