IS there a more exciting horse in training than Cracksman? The son of Frankel was found out by inexperience in the Derby at Epsom and by a steadily-run race in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh, but was otherwise unbeaten as a three-year-old, culminating in a seven-length victory in the Champion Stakes at Ascot, which earned him a massive 133 timefigure from me.

There was no chance of him returning that sort of figure in the Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp on his seasonal bow last Sunday once Wren’s Day, a pacemaker for the Arc runner-up Cloth of Stars, got an easy lead and set fairly modest fractions.

But, instead, we were treated to the sight of Cracksman letting rip with closing 200m sectionals of approximately 10.55s then 11.1s to mow down Wren’s Day to win by four lengths.

I have Cracksman’s average stride length in the penultimate sectional at 26.8 feet, which is nearly as long as Dad’s at his peak.

The fact that Cracksman’s Ganay win is worth a timefigure of only about 105 is not something to be much concerned about: we know he can run much quicker and that a true pace has played to his strengths previously.

Cloth Of Stars (94 timefigure) and Rhododendron (91) could not get past Wren’s Day (97) and were further behind Cracksman at the line than at the entrance to the straight.

Cracksman is capable of high-class form at a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half, and on ground from good to firm (which this nearly was) to soft, and he possessed more gears than many of us thought he had judged on this: exciting times, indeed!

HONG KONG

Another horse who would add greatly to the occasion at Royal Ascot if turning up there is the Hong Kong-trained Pakistan Star, a talented if mercurial individual who has been as likely to sulk as to apply himself in recent starts.

Pakistan Star very much had one of his going days in the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday, landing the €2.5m Group 1 by three lengths under William Buick.

His main rival, Time Warp, ran poorly, and I have Pakistan Star’s timefigure at just 112, but he probably has it in him to run into the low-120s if putting his best foot forward.

That is the sort of figure Ivictory has now achieved on his last two starts, following up a record-smashing win at Happy Valley with a ready success over the consistent and classy pair Mr Stunning and Beat The Clock in the €1.7m Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

I have the time value of this at 122, and, again, Ivictory could probably go a bit higher given an absolutely perfect set-up. British challenger Blue Point found disappointingly little and finished last.

HJONG KONG

If you travel halfway around the world to a race meeting, as I did for this one thanks to the generosity of the HKJC, you realise just how difficult it is to adjust to time differences and different climates without even beginning to think about running for your life! It makes the achievements of those horses who have pulled it off all the more impressive. Even the usually bombproof Highland Reel ran a stinker in the QEII Cup in 2016, in amongst two wins and a second in December’s Hong Kong Vase.

Racing in Hong Kong is top-notch both on and off (in terms of data, integrity and the human input) the track. If you get the chance, you should give it a go.