JUST the 24 runners through which to sift for the Bet365 Cambridgeshire today then, not 31, like there were last year, and that was after six came out, nor 34, like there were in 2023 after one came out.

The progressive three-year-olds are all the rage, which is perfectly understandable. They are the youngsters on the up, the ones punters note, the ones who have the potential to progress beyond the respective handicap ratings off which they race today, and it is not wholly surprising that three of the six three-year-olds in the race occupy three of the top four positions in the market.