ONE horse now prominent in the betting for next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup is Thistlecrack, though it could also be wondered what he might do tried at shorter distances over hurdles.

Over longer ones he is in a league of his own, and it was only an exceptional performance in second from Alpha Des Obeaux (164 timefigure) that prevented the Ryanair World Hurdle from being an all-round annihilation.