WHAT’S not to like about the Shergar Cup? The jockeys like it. They travel here from all over the world to ride in it. The trainers and owners like it. The prize money is very good for the stature of race.

The casual racegoers love it – approximately 30,000 flock to the Berkshire venue every year. Alongside Qipco Champions Day, it is the most popular fixture at Ascot outside of the royal meeting. The racing is competitive, six 10-runner handicaps with the added variable of a world-class rider having to deal with one of the best racecourses in the world.

Yet many avid racing fans spend time on social media slagging off the event every year.

Moaning for the sake of moaning. It’s always been true that you can never please everyone.

GALWAY is a hard place to get a winner. Ger Lyons, Jim Bolger and John Feane were among the prominent trainers to draw blank last week. Dermot Weld ran 22 horses and came back with just two winners. Jessica Harrington had to wait until the last of her 18 runners for her first winner. Martin had to do the same from his 22 runners.

Willie Mullins had 12 winners from 47 runners.Having lots of runners helps. That’s unless you are veteran handler John Joe Walsh, who came with two runners and left with two winners, one of which was in the €100,000 feature race on Saturday.