Shame on all of us for not making a bigger deal out of the Kennedy v Townend epic title race
Aurelien Lemaitre went about a fortnight too soon on Ramatuelle in last Sunday's 1,000 Guineas. Had he sat on his hands for a little longer, the first fillies' Classic of the campaign would surely have been on its way to France.
But that notable rush of blood wasn't even the worst piece of ill-judged premature excitement last weekend. That occurred at Punchestown on Saturday when the awards ceremony for the jumps season in Ireland took place after the third race. What's unusual about that? Well, normally nothing, but this season the most prestigious award of the whole lot – that of champion jockey – was still up for grabs at the time.
Can you imagine Jimmy Kimmel on the stage of Hollywood's Dolby Theatre telling everyone the Academy award for Best Picture won't be handed out during the Oscars ceremony as the votes had not been fully counted yet, so either Oppenheimer or American Fiction could still win?
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Copy- Farewell to Harchibald, the great entertainer who was misunderstood for his whole career
- A 5-1 shot who should be odds-on - and you'll agree with me once you've read this
- From the Grand National that didn't impress me to the trainer who impressed me more than any other in my career
- Gordon Elliott is listening to his inner Einstein as A-listers are Aintree bound, so what on earth will Punchestown be like?
- British trainers deserve a kick up the arse for missing the Irish Grand National
- Farewell to Harchibald, the great entertainer who was misunderstood for his whole career
- A 5-1 shot who should be odds-on - and you'll agree with me once you've read this
- From the Grand National that didn't impress me to the trainer who impressed me more than any other in my career
- Gordon Elliott is listening to his inner Einstein as A-listers are Aintree bound, so what on earth will Punchestown be like?
- British trainers deserve a kick up the arse for missing the Irish Grand National