“I’m really looking forward to seeing the progress of a Lawman colt I bred, Marcel, who won a maiden in Newcastle in August. His trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam thinks he’s the real thing and is talking about the Racing Post Trophy and the Guineas next year.”

Those were the words of racehorse owner and breeder David Hyland in this paper’s The Owner column last month. Did we back Marcel at 33/1 last Saturday? No, we did not. Well done, David and all at Oghill House Stud in Monasterevin, Co Kildare. Pity your tips are not in the naps table every weekend.

Incidentally this week’s The Owner column (page A15) is a cracker. Garrett Freyne does not hold back in telling Irish racecourses what’s what, and this follows remarks made this week by trainer Gordon Elliott along the same lines.

CHELTENHAM

In his Boylesports blog, Gordon said: “Last week I was at Cheltenham and the difference between the way the racecourses in the UK and Ireland are run is night and day. I think the way owners are looked after in England is second to none. You go to courses such as Ayr and Cheltenham where owners get a free meal, free entry to the track and more, and I think the Irish racecourses need to step up to it.

“Personally it doesn’t affect me as I’m not an owner but obviously we’d like to get a lot more English owners over to Ireland but they [the racecourses] need to up their game massively.

“The people that run these racecourses know exactly what should be done. The owners need to be looked after because they’re the ones that keep the whole thing going.”