Things didn’t all go to plan yesterday but you won’t complain with two winners nonetheless. I picked the wrong one big time in the Champion Chase and my hope that Champagne Fever might reproduce his best form proved unfounded. It was 50-50 with Felix Yonger and it didn’t surprise me that he stuck it out so well in the end.

I flew from Shannon to Heathtrow on Thursday night, after riding two winners at Thurles, and was looking forward to a couple of days at Newbury.

It’s Punchestown for me over the next two days, with the battle between Hurricane Fly and Jezki in tomorrow’s Morgiana Hurdle likely to prove the big talking point of the weekend.

This weekend promises plenty, as Willie Mullins takes the wraps off some of his better horses, with an ease in the ground finally arriving.

Gentleman Duke, trained for JP McManus by Arthur Moore, landed the inaugural running of the John Mulhern Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Ballinrobe’s final meeting of 2014.