'That record is wretched' - why a strong Gold Cup performance may not help you find the winner of the Aintree Bowl

I don't know about you, but most years as soon as the last horse crosses the line in the Cheltenham Gold Cup I want to relive it. The Gold Cup is one of the greatest races, who wouldn't want to have another go?

There must be a strong chance this sentiment carries over into the Aintree Bowl. This race is still put up as a Gold Cup rerun, even as the evidence mounts that it is nothing of the sort. Going back to 2008, when Kauto Star was turned over by Our Vic, horses that run well at Cheltenham tend to 'bounce', for want of a better term, at Aintree.

Here are the form figures, starting with Kauto Star, of the best-placed horse from the Gold Cup in the same spring's Aintree Bowl: 2FU52513351434P. Considering this race has averaged seven runners in that time, and that the Gold Cup is often the highest-quality race of the season, that record is wretched. On average they only just beat the median runner, the one that places fourth of seven.