Classic hope may give ex-champ something to shout about

The old parable about fat cattle and lean cattle springs to mind. Paul Hanagan grins, a touch ruefully, hoping he's not in for seven years like this one, hard on the heels of a seven-year stretch that sent him to the top of his profession.

To call it famine might be stretching a point – Hanagan has one of the best jobs in the sport as retained rider to Hamdan Al Maktoum and 56 winners on the board this year, earnings well in excess of a million pounds – but comparisons are obvious when set against the dual champion jockey's recent record of seven successive years topping the century mark. He grins again, conscious that he probably doesn't have a strong case for grumbling about it.

"It's been a bit quiet," he says, in his characteristically quiet way. "I suppose I've been a bit spoilt the last two seasons, but the virus in Newmarket has been a huge factor this season."