NO racecourse in Britain has had more criticism of the racing surface than Haydock, and poor Kirkland Tellwright, the affable but put-upon Clerk of the Course for many years, was the subject of ridicule, and often-criticised watering policy getting him the predictable nickname “Tellwrong”.

The truth is that the recently retired Kirkland got it wrong on occasions, but was overseeing the most difficult track in the country, and it was predictable that his successor Dan Cooper was the but of some unkind jokes on social media after most of last Saturday’s card had to be abandoned after a number of horses slipped on the turn into the home straight.