The Irish have more than luck on their side when it comes to British handicaps

Some people decry discussions about handicapping as dull and unappealing, but I reckon most of these arguments are just thinly disguised numerophobia.

Handicapping is little more than a ranking system, so anyone who has got into a pub discussion about the greatest racehorse/golfer/guitarist/travel destination is almost certainly handicapping-curious. They might just baulk at the numbers.

It almost goes without saying that someone who sees handicapping the way I do gets excited in February, when we get both Grand National and Cheltenham Festival weights to pore over. It would be better if we were talking about the finer points, like why something similar to compression might be necessary in the wider scheme, or even if Native River really is that well handicapped.