OUT with the old and in with the new. Or, rather, the other way round if you are Sandown Park, where the end of the British jumps season last Saturday came the day after the Classic Trial and other group races announced the start of the flat season for the course.

Sandown cannot compete with the sustained brilliance of Punchestown the following week, but it did manage to tempt connections of Altior to give their star a seasonal swansong in the bet365 Celebration Chase, which he won comfortably rather than easily in the absence of Cyrname on ground which the times suggested was “good to firm” on the chase course.

The overall time was nothing special by Altior’s own high standards – 158 at best by my reckoning – and the sectionals showed the pace, which Altior himself had to set, was never more than a few lengths slower than par.

He beat Sceau Royal by a length less than at Cheltenham, with God’s Own and Vosne Romanee (152 maximum previously) close behind.

This version of Altior does look beatable, if only by a very good rival, and it is no surprise that connections are now talking of stepping him up in trip. The way he races (and the way he strides) points to his being at least as effective at two and a half miles.

Altior was ably supported by Black Corton, winner of the Oaksey Chase, and Talkischeap, successful in the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase, who both ran 156 times on my figures.

Black Corton is a superbly consistent chaser at two and a half to three miles, but he had been demonstrably a bit below top-class previously and his wide-margin win here might well have owed plenty to shortcomings in his rivals as well as to a typically enterprising ride from Bryony Frost.

The novice Talkischeap looked well-treated beforehand but won his race with such panache that he must have improved again.

There are better than him among the 2018/19 staying novice chasers, but not many, and he could yet make into a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender.

The transformation of Getaway Trump from fairly useful novice hurdler to legitimate Champion Hurdle candidate for next year has been even more pronounced.

I probably undersold him when he won in course-record time at Ayr (now rated 151) and he followed up readily under top-weight in the opening valuable novice handicap hurdle, running to only 139 simply because of the steady earlier pace.

Younevercall took a weak Select Hurdle with a 144 performance on overall time.