Scudamore cries and even the defeated applaud on a day to gladden the heart

You almost certainly watched the Mildmay Novices' Chase, and you will no doubt have found it fascinating, but there was more to it than that.

It was wonderful because of the winner and his connections but not just because of him and them. There were things you likely did not see or hear. When you learn of them you will hopefully smile, just as I smiled.

Somewhere in a grandstand, Peter Scudamore was in tears as Ahoy Senor galloped away from the final fence. By the time the line was crossed, and Scudamore's partner, Lucinda Russell, had won another Aintree Grade 1 with the horse they call Hank, L'Homme Presse was 18 lengths in his wake. Had you seen two of the beaten horse's owners, you might not have thought so.