IN order to narrow the gap between fashion and substance, a case could be made to publish ratings on pedigree pages. Blacktype is what catches the eye, but a horse who finishes a well-beaten third in a weak listed event could be rated much lower than another who wins a premier handicap impressively.

Many smaller breeders are struggling despite a proven record of producing sound, useful horses, that can go under the radar if their pages lack a sexy sire or headline horse. The cut-throat nature of the stallion game doesn’t make things any easier, as a stallion’s progeny can be promising or even unbeaten when the mare is covered, only to be written off by the time the resulting foal is presented at auction.