THERE was a lot of good about last Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. There was the race for starters, the finish, the toe-to-toe between Harzand and Idaho, between Pat Smullen and Ryan Moore. Two top-class horses and two top-class riders in their prime, all four giving their all.

It was in the balance for a few strides, Idaho actually traded at 1.73 in-running, and the pair of them pulled nicely clear of their rivals.