Aintree comes to Cheltenham as loose horse threatens to cause late drama in centenary Gold Cup

Loose horses taking a hand in proceedings: that's for the Grand National. We don't expect it in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, a serious contest in which the excitement comes purely from competition, not from jockeys flying in all directions. So it was novel to see the riderless Fastorslow with the leaders on the home turn and to fret about what might happen next.

Not for him the easy option of running out or easing down. He stuck by the side of L'Homme Presse down the hill and into the straight, attacking the final fences with a relish that warmed the heart, so long as that heart did not belong to Willie Mullins.

The trainer of Galopin Des Champs would much rather have seen Fastorslow drift out of the picture, where he could do no harm. How many times have we seen a loose horse change direction in front of a fence and wipe someone out?