FOR reasons to do with the positioning of Easter, the main Guineas trials in Britain came the “wrong” way round this year, with the Greenham Stakes and Dubai Duty Free Stakes (Fred Darling) at Newbury taking place a few days before, rather than a few days after the Craven Stakes and Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket. Whether that will make much difference come the first weekend in May, remains to be seen: I rather doubt it.

One good thing about the Newbury races is that they are at the same distance and run consecutively, so that one-on-one comparisons are usually valid. This year, that comparison spoke heavily in favour of the colts.