WHERE has 2022 gone? One moment we are welcoming the return of the turf season on the flat, and suddenly we are saying goodbye to it. A disadvantage of growing older is that the years seem to pass by more quickly.

While we wave goodbye to the flat, we say hello to the National Hunt season in earnest. I know that for some this means a period of hibernation – one racing friend who dislikes the jump season calls it obstacle racing. He is a flat purist, and before you get up in arms about his view, there are plenty of supporters of the winter game who have a similar take on the flat.