THE big jumps races at Galway felt like Daniel King’s world, the rest of us just living in it, and he gave King Alexander an assured ride in the Plate, a race that appeals as strong form despite less than seven lengths covering the first six.

The start was cleaner than has sometimes been the case in the Plate, and King Alexander got into the box seat tracking the leader in a race where everything looked right for him; ground and trip were ideal, and he was also fresh, his record when 50 days or more off the track now reading:12118121. It was a good performance, but perhaps not one that will be repeatable in the near term.