The 2,000 Guineas has become an ante-post minefield - not like the glory days of the hack pack’s 33-1 coup

Vindication comes in many guises, not least from recognising that the time has come to draw stumps on what was once a rite of passage.

In bygone years the imminent 2,000 Guineas would have delivered judgement on the wisdom of an ante-post position taken out towards the end of the previous season. But that was then. What was once an interesting, pre-winter puzzle has become so fraught with difficulty that trying to solve it is futile.

There are now too many variables, the first being that many of the best prospects are in so few hands. This invariably requires a degree of juggling when spring comes round (Juddmonte this year, Ballydoyle every year), which could render your ante-post voucher worthless when your fancy is suddenly diverted to France.