THE talking point of the weekend was the finish of the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown where Sire De Grugy came back to form when holding off Special Tiara by three quarters of a length after the former Champion Chase winner had jumped left and badly bumped the runner-up over the last.

Watching live, I felt Special Tiara had a chance of getting it but, after a few replays, it was apparent that, under the current rules in Britain where it has to be clear that the runner-up would have won, it was unlikely that the Irish challenger would be awarded the race.

Despite serious but accidental interference over the fence, Special Tiara did not close the distance on Sire De Grugy up the run-in.

A point which seemed to be ignored in the after-race discussions was that Sire De Grugy himself lost a lot of momentum in the collision as Jamie Moore recovered his balance.

If the two horses had not come together, would Special Tiara have got up? Difficult to be certain but, even if the rules are wrong, they are applied consistently in Britain. If Simple Verse got the St Leger back after she caused interference, it is very unlikely that an appeal by Special Tiara’s connections would be successful.

That it was Sire De Grugy’s best run in a long time is undisputed but it is still a long way off his championship winning year and there are better horses around than those he beat here. Using Vibrato Valtat as a guideline, Un De Sceaux has little to fear.

Sire De Grugy was given a very positive ride. He jumped the Railway Fences really well but hit the Pond Fence, was slow at the second last and went left at the last. The final time figures relative to the Henry VIII Novices conclude that this was a much slower race, even with a front-runner like Special Tiara making the pace and Sire De Grugy going for home from three out. Tingle Creek winners have a good record in the Champion Chase but it’s difficult to see Sire De Grugy regaining the crown.

Of the beaten horses, Special Tiara belongs at this level but might find one too good at the Festivals especially as his racing style sets races up for a later challenging rival.

Vibrato Valtat looked more like the horse destroyed by Un De Seaux to the tune of 13 lengths in the Arkle and beaten at Aintree and Sandown than a legitimate Champion Chase contender. He might struggle to win at Grade 1 level in this division.

Josses Hill had finished third in the Arkle despite having jumping problems. He jumped erratically on many occasions last season yet had shown enough decent form to believe that a horse of his scope could be very decent if jumping issues were ironed out by Nicky Henderson.

However, this was a step backwards as he seemed to totally ignore the fourth fence when meeting it wrong and took a crashing fall from which he and Nico de Boinville were lucky to get up unscathed.

In all honesty, this was a race that fell apart in the preceding week. Un De Sceaux came out on Thursday, followed by Simonsig on the Friday. If Dodging Bullets was a below-par winner of the Queen Mother last season, there did not look to be anything likely to go on to Festival success in this.

NOVICE CHASERS

Ar Mad was arguably the most impressive winner of the weekend in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase, and the middle leg of a Gary Moore treble at Sandown. It was a step up on his previous win here but there appeared to be no fluke, albeit that there are much better novices around than the favourite Bristol De Mai.

Ar Mad made all at a fast pace, jumped fast and boldly and, when given a breather, he simply took off again after the Pond Fence. Cheltenham will not be on his agenda but at Kempton, Ascot and back here at Sandown, it will take a good horse to lower his colours. The clock also suggested this was above average.

In the final race Carole’s Destrier carried 11st 10lb to victory in the London National to give Neil Mulholland another good staying chaser.

AINTREE

Many Clouds failed to break the hoodoo of Grand National winners winning another race but in the Listed three mile, one furlong Betfred Giveaway Chase, he looked bound for success for a long way.

A flying leap at the last looked to have sealed victory, but Don Poli, conceding fitness on his first run of the season, overhauled him on the run-in.

I felt that Leighton Aspell didn’t make it enough of a test on a horse who had won a Hennessy over three and a quarter miles, and a Grand National over four and a half miles, and a horse who had the advantage of race fitness. (Yes, possibly talking through the pocket).

The Timeform figures back this up, it was a slowly-run race. Don Poli was getting 5lb and beat Many Clouds by four lengths and he had to be somewhat inconvenienced by the slipping saddle. He is also more likely to be suited by Cheltenham than the three miles on this tighter track. However, Many Clouds is a stayer too who goes well at Cheltenham. Despite his obvious potential, we don’t know how good Don Poli is, the level of his form, beating Southfield Theatre (tailed off here) by six lengths in the RSA Chase still leaves him with a lot to do in the book to match the proven Gold Cup contenders.

The Gold Cup is balanced around Coneygree’s stamina and ability to take horses out of their comfort zone early in the race. Will Don Poli stay close enough to attack up the hill? He’s not the slickest jumper yet but we still don’t know the limits to his stamina.

The other scenario is that if Coneygree, who is prone to injuries, should miss the race, the whole pace element could change. Don Poli is a general 6/1 or 7/1 for the Gold Cup now and, with the two big Christmas races to come, it makes sense to wait a while for any betting investment.

Don Cossack is undoubtedly a classier horse while the other two Gigginstown horses are well worth considering given they have been there and almost done it in a Gold Cup. With Don Poli, Don Cossack, Road To Riches and Sir Des Champs to choose from jockey Bryan Cooper has one enviable problem and there are a few excellent spare rides going there.

BECHER CHASE

The two races over the National fences proved minefields for punters. On a day where there were two Aintree Grand National winners and one Irish National winner in action within half an hour of each other, there was no luck for either National winner in the Becher Chase. Showing for the umpteenth time that no matter how much success you have over the Aintree fences, they can still catch you out, the 2014 National winner Pineau De Re was the first to fall at the second.

At 33/1 Eric McNamara’s Dare To Endeavour outran his odds under 'Aintree' jockey Liam Treadwell to finish best of the Irish in second to Highland Lodge.

The winner, sent off at 20/1, had looked a decent staying chaser a few years ago - he was fourth in the 2013 Hennessy - but was only eighth last year in this race and the fact that he had been sold out of Emma Lavelle’s yard this year and now ran for Jimmy Moffett didn’t seem to offer too much encouragement.

Vic’s Canvas also put up a notable effort. For a small horse, he was dwarfed by Soll when running alongside, but he tackled the Aintree fences with enthusiasm and for a long way looked like he could take a hand in the finish. Fifth place was less than he deserved having disputed the lead with the winner from five out.

Soll plugged on at one pace and is just plain slow. National runner-up Saint Are made a mistake at the last ditch and couldn’t get involved afterwards. He probably needs better ground.

Pat Griffin’s Portrait Gallery was possibly unlucky. He stays forever and was getting slowly into contention when he seemed to jump into the back of Dare To Endeavour at the second last and fell for the second time over theses fences.

Thunder And Roses made a bad blunder at the big ditch (9th), from which Bryan Cooper did very well to stay aboard, but was never a factor afterwards and was pulled up.

Goonyella was disappointing and plugged around out the back for last. Unioniste, at one time close to favourite for last year’s National for Paul Nicholls, doesn’t appear to be suited by Aintree.

The Grand Sefton was won by Liam Treadwell, another jockey who appears to have a knack of going well over these fences, on board the Venetia Williams-trained Bennys Mist, who had been brought down in the Topham last April.

The favourite Double Ross never looked like winning and the top-weight Rocky Creek put in his second disappointing run over these fences after such a good run in the National two seasons ago.

Soft to heavy ground in December bears little resemblance to the test of the Grand National itself on decent ground in April and it’s doubtful if there were many Grand National clues here, except possible horses to avoid.

Also on the card, Lizzie Kelly completed a good week when steering Agrapart, a four-year-old son of Martaline, to an impressive 20-length, never in danger up the straight. Gavin Cromwell sent over Jer’s Girl to gain a listed success in the juvenile mares' hurdle for Richard Johnson.

PUNCHESTOWN

Djakadam eliminated any doubts that the gruelling fight when second in the Gold Cup and a run at Punchestown afterwards might have left a mark when making an impressive reappearance over two and a half miles.

Indeed all of the first three home in last year’s Gold Cup have come back fighting fit and ready for another battle. Djakadam was positively ridden, disputing the lead with Flemenstar and quickening ahead before the turn-in. Over the last two, he was always in control and won well by 12 lengths from Valseur Lido and Gilgamboa, both of whom showed promise for the future.

There is more 7/1 around for Djakadam for the Gold Cup than Don Poli and he has less questions to ask after such a great run for a six-year-old last year.

It’s looking likely the Gold Cup winner will begin with D, but which horse? Don, Dom or Djak?

Valseur Lido will have to dodge the stars in the same ownership but he is a more than decent performer.

It’s too early to look at the Ryanair Chase as who knows what horses will eventually line up but Gilgamboa could be a likely candidate and he stayed on well here.

Flemenstar ran well again and should pick up another graded success this season while Foxrock was never involved.

If Djakadam looked good value at 7/4 on Sunday, some might have hesitated to take the odds-on 4/6 about Pont Alexandre as it could have been a risky proposition on a horse making his chasing debut and off the track for 998 days.

However, he showed an instant aptitude for chasing and jumped ahead, ears pricked at the second and never looked in doubt, clearing the second last boldly to see of the challenge of Balbir Du Matin. He was eased into the last but jumped it safely for an eight and a half-length success. Like the Arkle, the RSA Chase is shaping up to be a terrific contest and another battle between the NH supremos Gigginstown, Ricci and McManus with No More Heroes, More Of That and Pont Alexandre. Mullins still has Killultagh Vic to reappear and spoke highly of the horse at the HRI Awards on Monday.

HUNTINGDON

Dan Skelton gave much of the credit to his former boss Paul Nicholls for sending him Al Ferof after the John Hales-owned grey had won first time out for the fifth season in a row at Huntingdon on Sunday. Al Ferof seems to have been around for a long time but is only 10 and has only actually run 23 times under rules. He won the infamous novice hurdle that day when two horses were electrocuted at Newbury. He has been placed in the King George but the three-mile division is red hot. The Ryanair would be a suitable target for the Festival.

Ptit Zig was still close enough when he fell but it’s doubtful if he would have overhauled the winner when he fell at the last. It wasn’t a boost for the form of Vautour’s Ascot win. Pepite Rose was never involved and was lucky to pick up second.

Wishful Thinking probably went off to fast but his bold jumping was a delight to watch until he was overhauled turning for home.