Causes once, twice, three times a hero after twists and turns

When something happens for the first time in more than 60 years, there are usually two possible explanations. Either the circumstances have changed to ease the way for re-occurrence, or a remarkable individual has emerged to excel where previous generations fell short.

Now, the Cheltenham Festival has certainly changed in 63 years, but no-one would consider that victory there has become easier to achieve. Opportunities have increased, sure, from 18 races over three days to 28 races over four, but competition for those races has grown at the same – if not a greater – rate. So the second proposition must provide the answer. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Cause Of Causes.

"He's a great horse, he's a fairytale," says trainer Gordon Elliott, a pragmatist coaxed to poetry by the exploits of his nine-year-old. "Three years in a row is just amazing."