WHEN can a horse be said to have started a race? It’s an interesting question and there doesn’t appear to be an accepted answer. In the case of Labaik, his eventual consent to cross the starting line at Naas in February last year was so far after his backers had torn up their tickets as to be of no succour, but that unwilling act did at least prevent him from being referred to the authorities and banned from running in future, and that twist proved the making of an astounding and unlikely success in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. He was rightly deemed a runner at Naas, not because he crossed the line, but because he was given a fair chance to do so.

FAIR CHANCE