EVENING meetings at which the racing is more than just a sideshow have not caught on in Britain in the way they have in Ireland, but a notable exception is the BetVictor-sponsored card at Sandown in late-May. Two Group 3 races and two listed races – all of which have punched above their weight at times – make for some excellent sport and raise the question as to why the event is such a one-off.

The Brigadier Gerard Stakes had been won by the likes of Notnowcato, Workforce and Carlton House in the preceding decade, but this year’s winner, Time Test, deserves to be ranked higher than any of them in time terms.