IT has been fairly obvious in recent weeks that Ballydoyle’s immensely powerful team is not performing at its best, so Fairyland’s narrow success in the opening Group 2 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes came as something of a relief to Aidan O’Brien.

“It’s a respiratory illness and the worst I’ve known during my time at the stable,” he said. “It’s as if the horses have phlegm in their throats and all you can do is wait for them to come right.