IF your first five form figures have more letters than numbers and read UFF5B, it might lead you to think this is not a horse who is going to have a successful career and become one of the most popular jump horses in recent seasons.

It certainly never looked like a beginning that would take in famous racetracks in four countries, the likes of Sandown, Galway, Far Hills, Cheltenham, Auteuil, Kempton, Aintree, Punchestown and Leopardstown.

Everyone would hope to find a rare animal like Hewick.

The horse, who cost €850, was dining at the top table on numerous occasions. You could have, amazingly, bought 870 Hewick’s for one Caldwell Potter. A total of 858 Interconnected’s (yes, who?) would never bring such success and stories. The little horse was a rare standout.

For most of Hewick’s career, I was thinking, he can’t do that, he can’t do that. He just never looked the part of a top three-mile chaser that he most certainly proved worthy. He answered so many questions posed of him. Winning the bet365 Gold Cup, Galway Plate under near top-weight of 11st 7lb, being unlucky in the Kerry National, travelling and winning the American National. There was me thinking he had no place in a Gold Cup but for that crunching fall at the second last, he could well have been involved in the finish.

He rebounded from that to win the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase and achieve a memorable win in one of the elite jumps races, the King George at Kempton.

If his time at the very top ranks on the track was brief, he sure gained a following that few can boast of, as the Hanlon family spread his appeal over social media, and he looked a willing partner in all the attention.

Horses like him are rare indeed and it’s great to see him retire safely to lots more care and attention with his owner.

IT’S high summer and you would have thought that a well-established Group 2 race for two-year-olds over six furlongs on fast ground would have been in great demand. It’s two weeks to Goodwood, so we should have a nice supply of youngsters coming along.

But tomorrow’s three-runner Prix Robert Papin must rank as one of the softest Group 2s ever run. Two challengers come from the Joseph O’Brien stable or it would have been a walkover. King Of Cloughan and the filly Beibhinn will notch some more Group 2 blacktype without exerting themselves too much.

The race has illustrous names on its roll of honour going back to Blushing Groom, Arazi and Ma Biche and, more recently, 1000 Guineas winners, Divine Proportions and Special Duty and leading young sire Blackbeard. But we have fallen far in the last couple of years.

An Australian article caught the eye last week as the Asian Pattern Committee announced 19 new stakes races for the 2026/27 season down under, including the granting of Group 1 status for the A$10 million Golden Eagle.

Adam Blencowe wrote on The Purpose of the Pattern on www.racingandsports.com.au.

“There should be enough Group 3s to develop horses, enough Group 2s to separate very good horses from merely good ones, and relatively few Group 1s that genuinely identify champions across a range of categories.” Sounds ideal.

But, like many in Australia, tomorrow’s French race hardly justifies that. Australia has 76 Group 1 races, 22 of them sprints. How can that identify the really good horses? Let’s hope Europe keeps a tighter grip on its class-defining races.

EVENTS of the last few weeks could set up a nice racing joke. Three Irish trainers walked into a bar. “I’m the trainer Mr O’Brien,” said the first one. “I’m trainer Mr O’Brien,” said the second. “I’m trainer Mr O’Brien,” said the third. “But I want the Group 1-winning trainer Mr O’Brien”, said the barman. “I’m the Group 1-winning trainer,” said the first Mr O’Brien.” “But I’m the Group 1-winning trainer,” said the second.” “No, I’m the Group 1 winning trainer Mr O’Brien”...

Joking aside, it’s been a phenomenal two months for the O’Brien training family. Aidan predictably having classic success from Newmarket onwards, but Joseph joining him with Thundering On in the Oaks before Aidan’s Derby win and Donnacha getting in on the act with Kensington Lane in the US and Comanche Brave in the July Cup last week.