Cheltenham belongs to pioneering Rachael Blackmore and her mare in a million

So now we know that Honeysuckle, so superbly sweet-smelling in summer, is simply savage in winter.

Under the impeccable Rachael Blackmore, Honeysuckle simply unpicked her Champion Hurdle rivals with all the precision and deftness of a doctor taking out your stitches.

And despite the somewhat sepulchral atmosphere of the winner’s enclosure, it was still a stirring and emotional sight to see a woman return in after an undoubtedly historic triumph on an unbeaten mare in a million.