'They are as exciting as any horse we've had here - it's what everyone wants'

Ever been kicked in the balls? There are those few seconds of terrible suspense when you know you’ve been hit but there’s no pain and you hope maybe, please God, they were only glanced. But then the sickening pain creeps into your stomach.

That’s what it was like in the time between looking at Monkfish’s leg and waiting for a vet to confirm it. Losing him, the top staying novice hurdler and then top staying novice chaser at Cheltenham, before the season even begins is . . . well, it’s a kick in the balls, to be frank.

It does, however, save Paul Townend from having to decide whether to desert his dual Gold Cup-winning partner, Al Boum Photo.