I SHOULD have learnt the lesson that trying to find a bet a day for the big meetings only works for Cheltenham, and it was a struggle to get runners, let alone winners at Goodwood. That said, the horses singled out as worth following have largely paid their way this term, although I’m still smarting at missing 25/1 Rathgar at Yarmouth when confined to my sick-bed (the definition of adding insult to injury).

I make no excuses for bringing up horses mentioned before, and in retrospect York was always more likely to be the plan for Forza Orta rather than Goodwood, and he was a huge drifter in the betting before running below par there last time with cheekpieces doing nothing for him other than causing him to over-race.