The sun always shines….on the bookies unfortunately.

A day that saw the shocking defeat of Douvan started in heart-breaking fashion for Lap Of The Odds when for a second day our best bet, this time Neon Wolf, lost out in an excruciatingly tight photo finish.

The victory of Causes Of Causes was very much the one that got away having tipped him up for the last three festivals. While Might Bite must be some horse to overcome his antics on the run-in of the RSA.

That aside, it was the day of shocks we anticipated, but unfortunately not the shocks we wanted.

A tough day saw another narrow defeat, for the fancied Divin Bere. The only crumb of comfort was the 33/1 SP of the winner, which sets our Cheltenham Countdown: Shock Tactics bet in good position to land the 14/1.

However, that relies on no big surprises over the next two days…so we’re not counting those winnings yet.

Day 3 has plenty of promise, and despite the narrow set-backs so far we will be approaching it with confidence. You can read our thoughts here by 0715 GMT Thursday morning.