Agree with him or not, Aidan O’Brien is never less than interesting - and strong opinions are what racing needs from its stars

We have entered what in news and politics is often referred to as "the silly season". Some of the silliness has rubbed off on racing.

As a result of the clash with the Paris Olympics, Goodwood's leadership realised this year's Glorious meeting was bound to take place slightly below the radar. That proved to be the case, with ITV achieving an average audience across the five days down 25 per cent on last year and media coverage also understandably reduced. There was, however, one unexpected exception.

Making bold predictions can be dangerous, but one can generally be confident a television interview conducted before the Molecomb Stakes will not go viral on social media. Everything changed when the UK's shortest-serving prime minister, Liz Truss, attended Goodwood's second day alongside owner Fitri Hay, the single biggest donor to Truss's 2022 Conservative leadership campaign.