THE end of August and very beginning of September is an oddly fallow time in European racing. Jumps action, such as there is, will remain in the back seat for several more weeks and flat racing takes a collective breather with a busy autumn ahead. There was not a huge amount going on in time terms, either.

The best time effort of the last weekend came from a horse in a handicap who had been pulled up in similar company just seven days earlier. Whatever ailed Wadi Al Hattawi in the Ebor at York was not long-standing, as he put up a smart performance to win at Newmarket off a mark of 105 by clear daylight.