Excuses abound for Lockinge flops - but how much should we trust them next time?

'The Big Clash' was how we billed Saturday's Lockinge and reasonably so, given the presence of two big names in Inspiral and Big Rock. But, horses being horses, such clashes don't often turn into a thrilling battle between the two obvious protagonists; somewhere out there is a punter who decided to lay both of them for a place and they deserve our congratulations.

What went wrong? "Needed the run" was the confidently expressed view of John Gosden in relation to Inspiral and it's easy enough to accept. Older horses get canny about home work. Also, this is the first season the five-year-old has been taken to the races before the month of June.

Still, it doesn't feel like the whole story. A slow starter who needs to be settled through the first half of a race, Inspiral is particularly vulnerable to the pace-setter who everyone else ignores.