WHO emerged best of the breeding countries at this year’s Cheltenham Festival meeting? With a single win each for British and German-breds, it basically came down to a head-to-head between Ireland and France.

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” This is often attributed to Mark Twain, who in his writings suggests they were the words of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, though scholars note it is not to be found in the politician’s writings. The saying highlights how statistics can be manipulated to mislead, distort the truth, or even support weak arguments.