SPEAKING of which, it is a strange anomaly that exists in Britain, where the handicapping week runs from Sunday to Saturday, unlike in Ireland, where it runs from Monday to Sunday. The net result is that we do not have the revised ratings for Sunday’s runners in Britain until nine days after they have run.

We had all the new ratings from last weekend’s racing in Ireland, from Saturday and Sunday, during the week. For example, we know now that Carlingford Lough has been raised 8lb to a mark of 166 for winning the Hennessy, and we know that Foxrock has been raised another 6lb to a mark of 164 for chasing him home, which puts both horses in Gold Cup-land. We know that Nichols Canyon has been raised 8lb for winning the Deloitte to a mark of 148, and we know that Sort It Out was raised 14lb to a mark of 134 for running out a six-and-a-half-length winner of the Paddy Power Handicap Hurdle, which should be just about ideal to get him into the County Hurdle on a nice racing weight. As long as the British handicapper shares the Irish handicapper’s opinion, that is, and as long as that is the route down which JP McManus and Eddie Harty choose to go.