A busy weekend for stewards around the world - and an upsetting one for retained jockeys

In a constantly changing world, how reassuring to witness an old-school Stewards' Cup, with much pre-race agonising about which side of the track would be favoured, a major gamble landed and trouble in running wherever one looked. It may be hard for an outsider to grasp why these experiences are fun for us, but I hope reports on the 2065 race can start in just the same fashion.

If the race's purpose is to identify a tough horse, we can say: mission accomplished. Two Tribes has won big-field handicaps on consecutive weekends and showed his grit on both occasions by quietly shunting a rival to one side, without which he'd have had no room to run.

On Saturday it was Strike Red who was unable to keep Two Tribes locked up beside him, and more's the pity for connections because the seven-year-old kept on doggedly for second. But the younger horse was soon away from him and has shown dramatic improvement this summer.