Clouds heroics to stand test of time

Those things which endure and weave themselves into our lives – horse and human – acquire a value all their own. Their presence is a reassurance, their moving on a rite of our own personal passage through the complexities of this (sporting) life.

That old adage "familiarity breeds contempt" gets its deserved comeuppance in jump racing.

As we watch long-serving chasers or perennial hurdlers do their stuff we know that, like some ancient strata of rock, they are laying down the foundation stones of memory. There is never contempt, the beauty lies in the familiarity.