Don’t Let a Prize-Money Drop Rob Us of El Fabiolo v Jonbon at Cheltenham Next Week

If Editeur Du Gite had won the original Clarence House Chase at Ascot seven days earlier, he would have earned £98,473. There was a field of six at Cheltenham, whereas only three had been due to take part at Ascot, yet connections got 47.5 per cent less than the initial pot. It was daylight robbery.

The same situation with prize-money means we could be robbed of a rare pre-festival blockbuster next weekend. The bane of our winter lives is a lack of heavyweight bouts before the Cheltenham Festival, and here we have one right in front of us, ready to go. The gum shields are in, the gloves are on, and the bell has sounded.