These novice chasers had me purring last week and look big players against the Willie Mullins Cheltenham hotpots

At the start of every season over jumps, it's the horses doing something different that provide the most intrigue. We know nearly all there is to know about Galopin Des Champs, or Fact To File, or Gaelic Warrior, so there's not really much new to learn about the returning stars. 

In contrast, there's everything to learn when a good horse goes chasing for the first time and this season we have seen some exhilarating performances from horses trying fences for the first time.

Obviously Final Demand and Kopek Des Bordes captured most people's imagination with their wins, but last week I thought there were at least four performances from novice chasers that suggested those two Willie Mullins-trained stars weren't likely to have things all their own way this season.