ROYAL Ascot this year raised several talking points, from team tactics, a weighing in controversy and a draw bias on the straight course to name but a few.

Of those, the most contentious is the perceived draw bias favouring those drawn high on the straight course. A common explanation as to why horses who raced on the stands’ side from a high draw were favoured is that they got to race on faster ground. This was refuted by the Ascot executive, who were confident that they had created an even playing surface.