Astrac put up a gallant effort to take second place at Chepstow this evening as he made history by becoming the first horse to run at every British venue that stages Flat racing.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup remains the premier event in the steeplechasing calendar, and Dessie Hughes certainly knows what it takes to win the Blue-Riband event of the festival, having piloted the Mick O’Toole-trained Davy Lad to victory in the 1977 race.