Johnston staying power proves too much for all but O'Brien's band of blue-bloods

The vast majority of trainers who stock up with middle-distance and staying horses that need time are deemed to have one foot inside the bankruptcy courts. The other will not be long in following.

This near-universal assumption is why so many young handlers join the headlong rush for precocious two-year-olds, or failing that, sprint-bred types that can run once a week until running out of steam. And this, in turn, is why 70 per cent of all races in Britain are run at distances between five and nine furlongs.

It has become a vicious circle. Supposition piles upon supposition until it becomes gospel truth, so that few are inclined to swim against the tide.