AS the spring season begins to steadily pick up a gear and attention is soon set to turn to the latest crop of four-year-old’s ahead of their competitive debuts early next month, it is interesting to take a look back at how the autumn season stacks up against its predecessors to gauge a snapshot of the health of the sport at present.

It appears to tell two contrasting stories - one of continued growth within the four-year-old division, however, elsewhere the picture is not as positive.