NOW that all 13 Group 1 races run in Europe for two-year-olds in 2018 have been run it is worth examining the impact of Royal Ascot on these various races.

At the conclusion of Ascot much was made of the fact that Aidan O’Brien ended the meeting with a blank on the juvenile front yet he went on to win three races at the top level for juveniles this autumn and sent out the runners-up in a further six Group 1 juvenile races.

Interestingly, of these 13 two-year-old Group 1s, just three were won by horses who had run at Royal Ascot: Advertise, Fairyland, and Pretty Pollyanna. This trio were all beaten at Ascot although they had each run with considerable credit. Thus it is worth remembering that while the Royal meeting is undoubtedly the focal point for the world of racing each summer, it is far from the be all and end all when it comes to setting out a definitive pecking order in the two-year-old division.