'I thought it was a huge performance, he just galloped right away from them'

Astonishing, truly astonishing. Even the As on their own would do most trainers, never mind the ones who start with the other 25 letters of the alphabet. Among the As are Allaho, Allegorie De Vassy, Appreciate It, Ashroe Diamond, Asterion Forlonge and Aurora Vega and long before we got to Zenta it had become blatantly obvious that this Closutton team is absolutely awesome. As good as there has ever been here? Possibly. Only time will tell.

Where on earth do you even start? The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner deserves that right, I suppose. Galopin Des Champs may have lost his air of invincibility when beaten by Fastorslow at the end of a long and demanding campaign at Punchestown, but he was officially the best Gold Cup winner of the last decade after receiving a Racing Post Rating of 184 for that sizzling show on the day that mattered most.

Willie Mullins is a creature of habit, so don't expect him to meander away from the path that took Galopin Des Champs to the Cotswolds last year. That means two runs before March – the John Durkan Chase at the earlier date of November 26 and the Irish Gold Cup in early February.