Do you honestly think that Arc was one for the ages? It was anything but

As a standalone event, it could not have been more compelling. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe had it all: intrigue aplenty, countless twists and turns, and a finish full of drama.

As an end-of-season championship designed to tie up all the loose ends, however, it was a damp squib. The so-called 'narrative' that ushered us through the season lay buried in the Longchamp mud.

But that's what happens when a predominantly summer sport extends into the autumn. The changing seasons change underfoot conditions to the extent that a very different set of questions are asked. They were not the same ones posed of Arc runners throughout the season.