Sprinter Sacre made his long-awaited return to the racecourse at Ascot on Saturday and his performance in finishing a tenderly-handled second to Dodging Bullets in the Clarence House Chase has split opinion as to what his prospects are going forward.

To put Sprinter Sacre’s performance into context, it is worth recapping what he was at his peak. Timeform rated him 192p. That makes him the third highest-rated horse in the history of their ratings. 1lb higher than Kauto Star, 8lb higher than Moscow Flyer and 10lb higher than Best Mate. At his best, he was phenomenally good.