Bay each-way looks a standout proposition for wide-open Arc

And so we come to the race, the one race which annually defines the middle-distance division in Europe. No other contest, right through the myriad range of distances, can hold a candle to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

It's a must-run race for horses. There's no shirking, no ducking and diving, no lame excuses trotted out for not lining up. The state of the ground might prompt some trainers to issue caveats on their horse's prospects but it is otherwise an absolute humdinger of a race.

That is also part of the Arc's problem. We spend the entire season becoming emotionally attached to perhaps half a dozen horses and, blow me, if most of them don't collide in the Arc. Should one of them win, the euphoria is tempered by the sight of the others coming home at various intervals.