Faugheen© Photo Healy Racing
Faugheen is back this Sunday and those who treasure every appearance by this unbeaten superstar with his agricultural looks and stellar ability won't care if he winds up 1-100 against the clerk of the course's pet dog. Outrageous talent should be treasured whatever the circumstances. But on the back of Don Cossack's recent 2-11 jaunt against just three opponents in the first Grade 1 of the season, another likely solo by Faugheen in the second will probably provoke more anxious cries about a lack of competition in Ireland's top events.
It's definitely an issue within Irish racing. Gordon Elliott has been manfully putting it up to Willie Mullins so far but once the Closutton team cranks into top gear we could well be back into familiar territory with expressions of dismay at an elite mopping up the most lucrative races which wind up producing all but unbackable favourites in a series of tiny field-sizes.
Something of a nadir was reached around this time in 2013 with Hurricane Fly landing the Morgiana at 1-16, followed a few weeks later by Arvika Ligeonniere beating just two in the Durkan, while Briar Hill had only Azorian to beat in a Navan Novice Hurdle so dire the race wound up being transferred to Naas in January.
That cemented a non-competitive picture in many eyes that has been hard to shift yet it is interesting to note how in the dozen Grade 1's leading up to the New Year in 2014, the average field size was over seven which, when you consider the inevitably small list of credible candidates for top-flight honours, hardly seems too bad, and wouldn't seem out of place at Group 1 level on the flat.
The list of connections able to secure and afford such credible candidates is also inevitably short and there's no disputing a certain degree of 'ho-hum' about another expensive purchase from the Mullins camp, or Gigginstown, or Martinstown, coming out on top in the banner races.
However those presuming the reality hasn't always been about a tiny elite, both equine and human, are mostly deluding themselves with "good old days" nostalgia.
Maybe the real question isn't about field-size, or short-odds on favourites but organising a programme which makes it harder to arrive at the holy grail of Cheltenham in March on the back of a series of Grade 1 spins that can sometimes appear to be little more than lucrative workouts.
Faugheen's Morgiana appearance will definitively mark the end of any 'phoney war' sense about the jumps campaign. There may be international flat stuff to come in Japan and Hong Kong but it's resolutely National Hunt for the next six months which is just fine for the significant majority of race fans in this country.
There's plenty to look forward to but it isn't just the proximity of his successful chasing debut that will make Kitten Rock's progress through the chasing ranks particularly fascinating this winter. Possessed of the class to get within less than ten lengths of Faugheen in the Champion Hurdle, Edward O'Grady's charge has always looked likely to get better over fences.
Navan did nothing to disprove that, nor the suspicion that he is good enough to provide his legendary trainer with a welcome return to the Grade 1 winner's enclosure.
More tediously, HRI-Turf Club relations continue to appear as harmonious as ever with certainly no comment whatsoever on the ground about the appearance of Joe Keeling's colours on the Ado McGuinness trained First Post at Limerick on Sunday!
On a more serious note, the Turf Club still aim to try and secure amendments to the Horse Racing Ireland Bill which goes before the Dail this week. The critical stage will be when the proposed legislation goes before a joint-Oireachtas Committee later this month when amendments can be considered.
But essentially the regulatory body's central concerns about integrity independence and financial streams remain just as they have been for some time. Another sticking point appears to be what's set out in terms of the disciplinary process, specifically appeals, which certainly seem to jar with many in the Turf Club since even their most fervent critics can hardly question the fairness of that system as it currently stands.
And finally a final hark back to the flat: anyone dismissing the importance of confidence in racing, or any sport, need only look back to Frankie Dettori's performance last week on the Melbourne Cup runner up Max Dynamite. Did the root of that unlucky defeat for Willie Mullins's star come ten days earlier on the other side of the world?
Dettori's Racing Post Trophy defeat on Foundation provoked a lot of comment after the Italian's decision to sit, wait and hope a gap materialised on the warm favourite backfired spectacularly.
It was a rare reverse in a vintage season and for someone noted as a confidence jockey it's hard not to suspect the memory of Foundation's defeat might have been at the back of Dettori's mind once Max Dynamite entered the Flemington straight all dressed up but with nowhere to go.
Obviously there's no definitive answer to this but it's also hard not to wonder if a confident Dettori would have persevered with waiting for a gap on Max Dynamite had he not had that Doncaster experience just over a week previously.
As it was his dramatic shift right cost him a month-long ban and a hefty fine. But long after that's forgotten he's likely to rue this as the Cup that got away.
Michelle Payne on the winner had tracked him to half a mile out before securing the sort of run that would surely have seen Max Dynamite emerge on top if the situations were reversed. As it was even Racing Victoria's head-steward Terry Bailey opined if Dettori had waited a little longer a gap would have opened up.
On such tight-margins are the big races decided and getting it right when it counts is what the top flat jockeys are paid for. When Dettori was bursting with confidence he produced an inspired Arc display: Melbourne was unfortunately different. And no I'm not talking through my pocket.
