Small fields can still mean big thrills - or have we forgotten Dessie v Panto?

On a scale of one to ten, how exciting was Saturday's Coral-Eclipse? Does it go down as a classic? Did St Mark's Basilica's devastating turn of foot in the final furlong, swooping past two genuine Group 1 performers as if they were merely handicappers, truly stir your emotions? Or were you left unmoved, appreciating the superiority of the performance but left wanting more excitement, the four-runner field proving insufficient for you?

David Menuisier criticised the lack of entries for the Eclipse at the start of last week, believing a race of its stature should have attracted more prospective runners. After that the small field became a major talking point, many fearing it would diminish the spectacle. However, I simply do not think it is true that you need lots of runners for a race to fuel excitement.

Pyledriver's tussle with Al Aasy in the Coronation Cup at Epsom this year will live long in the memory even though there were only six runners. There were also just six runners when Persian Punch achieved the final victory of his glittering career in the 2003 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket, a truly epic contest.