IT took a long time in the 2018 season for Cracksman to show his true worth, and a similarly long time in Saturday’s QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot for him to transform from apparently lazy so-and-so to something resembling a laser-guided missile. But when it came it was well worth the wait.

Other authorities may disagree, but I make this the timing performance of the season, not in terms of overall time – pretty good though that was – but in terms of sectionals.