There are lots of positives too about Alpha Des Obeaux. Mouse Morris’ horse is another eight-year-old, and he had the class to finish second in a Stayers’ Hurdle behind Thistlecrack.

He ran a cracker on his debut this season at Limerick to finish second in the JT McNamara Munster National, just seven lengths behind the seriously well-handicapped Total Recall, who went and won the Ladbrokes Trophy, the old Hennessy, at Newbury next time off an 18lb higher mark.

And the Gigginstown House horse proved his class over fences next time when he won the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase over a wholly inadequate two and a half miles, when he had fellow Gigginstown horses A Toi Phil and Balko Des Flos behind him in second and third. That form obviously looks even better now than it did then.

He has run four times since then, and he has been beaten on all four occasions, which is obviously not ideal, but those runs were all at Grade 1 or Grade 2 level, and the defeats are factored into his odds of 40/1. He proved that he could handle soft ground when he won at Clonmel, and we know that he stays well. We also know that Mouse Morris can have a horse at concert pitch for the Grand National, as he famously proved two years ago with the maiden chaser Rule The World, and Rachael Blackmore is a very good rider.

Total Recall has a big chance, he is a seriously improved chaser this season for Willie Mullins, he was running well in the Gold Cup when he came down at the third last fence, and he will race off a handicap rating that is only 9lb higher than the mark off which he won the Ladbrokes Trophy, when the first two finished well clear. The Grand National has been his primary target since then, and you know that Willie Mullins will have him primed.