Golden Horn supporters must be patient as sire is denied his time to shine

Spare a thought for Golden Horn during this prolonged cancellation of racing in Europe. His talents were never going to be showcased to best effect in his first season with two-year-old runners, as a quite stoutly bred horse who broke his maiden in late October at two and a brilliant middle-distance performer at three.

Now would surely have been the time for him to catch up with and perhaps surpass some of his sophomore stallion peers, as his later maturing stock could have been expected to shine in the early-season three-year-old novice races and Classic trials.

Some key progeny statistics give a rough guide to the lack of exposure Golden Horn's crop has had compared to the other more expensive members of the freshman class of 2019.