Think 'trainer form' and everything becomes clear after hectic weekend's action

Trainer form, now there's a tricky subject. It's hard to measure, hard to profit from and some would have you believe the subject is not worth discussing, is the sort of will-o'-the-wisp that will lead you straight into the middle of a swamp. But it is a very attractive prism through which to view results like the ones this weekend.

Jessica Harrington and Ger Lyons can safely be filed in the 'in form' column, having won seven of the eight races on the opening day of Irish Champions Weekend. By the time Sunday afternoon came round, devotees of the subject would surely have been taking an interest in Harrington's Discoveries, whose siblings include Alpha Centauri and Alpine Star and who gamely upheld family honour at 17-2 in the Moyglare.

Aidan O'Brien's team, meanwhile, seem short of their best. It would be a reckless thing to describe a trainer as being out of form two days after winning the Irish Champion Stakes, which is generally one of the best races in the world, but by Sunday morning Ballydoyle had sent out just one winner from 31 runners over the previous fortnight.