THERE’S nothing like a bit of boiling resentment to keep you warm on a cold winter’s evening, and the success of the gambled-on Little Rory Mac at Market Rasen on Thursday might provide enough heat to last the month, judging by the extreme reaction on social media, but it’s worth establishing exactly what has precipitated that reaction.

First and foremost, a gamble was clearly perpetrated on a horse who had been the subject of a running and riding enquiry on his previous start. At Warwick a month ago, the gelding appeared to be tenderly handled throughout the contest, racing wide and steadied into his obstacles with the result that he was well adrift before the turn for home.