He made all the running but flashed his tail four times on the run-in when his jockey hit him with the whip. He only hung on by half a length despite the fact the runner-up seemed to be running a bit green and idling.

On his debut in France, he looked set to win at Auteuil after making the running and moving best turning-in. He tired rapidly following a slight error two out. At Fairyhouse, I reckon he was simply running out of gas and showed his annoyance when hit with the whip.