From Kempton to Warwick, the big-race front-runners just kept on keeping on

It is sometimes described as "doing it the hard way" but there's a lot to be said for being up with the pace in a big-field jumps handicap, not least that you don't have the risk of a sudden disaster happening right in front of you. Saturday's winners of the Coral Lanzarote and the Agetur Classic Chase were both to the fore from an early stage and never faltered despite stamina-sapping conditions underhoof.

The other thing both races had in common was an early exit for a fancied runner from the Skelton stable. Padleyourowncanoe's reins ended up round his ears after he belted the second fence at Warwick and he was quickly pulled up. Meanwhile at Kempton, Ch'tibello also got no further than the second, where he threw in an exuberant leap and came down rather earlier than necessary. Their trainer was among the winners at Wetherby but will undoubtedly be hoping for better days ahead.

Spare a thought for Tristan Durrell, rider of Ch'tibello, who immediately discovered the down side to being at the head of a big field. It was his prostrate form rather than his erstwhile mount who brought down Green Book and he appeared to take a pretty serious kicking in the process. Happily, all horses and jockeys were later said to be "fine" but Durrell surely knows he has been in a race.