The class of 2020 have turned into a talented bunch, especially Gold Cup hope Gerri Colombe

Gerri Colombe’s eagerly awaited return to action may have been put back a week after the postponement of Saturday’s Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal, but I expect it to be worth the wait and for him to become a genuine Cheltenham Gold Cup contender alongside the likes of Galopin Des Champs, Bravemansgame and Fastorslow.

A Lingstown maiden winner on March 8, 2020, the £240,000 purchase at Tattersalls Cheltenham sale four days later was one of the final youngsters to win a point-to-point before Covid-19 struck, and racing did not return until the autumn.

Pointing graduates were lost that year, as horses were sold or re-routed to the racecourse to run in bumpers, therefore having Gerri Colombe as a graduate is valuable to those who will begin selling pointers in the coming months.