What was the worst bet you had during the last jumps season? Perhaps it was thinking Beef or Salmon was a certainty for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Many punters did because, amazingly, he was sent off favourite for that race.

‘Beefy’ is a grand horse, but his Cheltenham Festival record has been dismal. For the record, he finished 11th in 2006, after three previous attempts in jumps racing’s Blue Riband event where he had been pulled-up, finished fourth and fell. Hardly the record of a likely Gold Cup winner.