THE highlights reel marking this most turbulent flat campaign, which comes to a conclusion at Naas today, will probably not feature Mick Mulvany and his admirable group of horses.

But in the rush to bemoan the concentration of riches at the top end of the tree, it is often forgotten the value such a competitive environment puts on the stock, even if they are not contending in pattern races and classics. The critics like to airbrush from the picture the success of horse people making a living from the niche they have carved out for themselves, because it doesn’t suit their gloomy narrative.