Let's hope that neither Oisin Murphy, the defending champion, nor Billy Loughnane, the challenger for the title, establish a long lead in the battle for the Jockeys Champion title. It becomes a bore when one man dominates, when the title is all over bar the shouting months before the last day. Not that I will ever accept the last day being Champions Day, an arbitary end that allows a jockey to have won more races between the first day of the turf at Doncaster to the last day at Doncaster and yet not be crowned champion. It is stupid, without sense, common or otherwise, and arranged simply to fit in with a day dubbed 'Champions Day', a day on which should by definition be wall to wall champions but only has two trophies presented. It is what it is, though, and it would add extra pizzazz to the meeting if both Oisin and Billy could go there still with a chance of being the 2026 champion jockey. Tis a shame Rossa Ryan was so savagely treated by the hanging judges of Sandown as he might have kept pace with the big two to make it an even more compelling race to the finishing line.

The doubtless unnecessary quango entitled the Flat Pattern Committee have sanctioned, as a trial, a second entry system for all of the headline races at York's Ebor meeting, including the Nunthorpe, Juddmonte International, Yorkshire Oaks and Gimcrack. For the Nunthorpe, as an example, it would normally cost £40,000 to enter as a supplementary at the six-day stage, while to enter now, the second entry stage, it only costs £10,000 or thereabouts. It is such an obvious good idea it beggars belief that it needs to be trialled. In fact having the initial entry stage closer to the date of the actual race makes sense, allowing trainers to enter late-developing two or three-year-olds for relevant races. I am no fan of early opening races, owners forced to speculate large sums of money on the off-chance their horse might turn-out to be of the class to warrant the initial entry fee and all the other fees up to and including the declaration stage.

Mr. Ash of Swindon, in a letter published today in The Racing Post, has a moan about start times at Goodwood. He is critical of jockeys ambling their way to the start and critical of Goodwood for allowing them to take their time. Although it is standard practise at Goodwood to canter halfway to the start and then to walk the rest of the way, Mr. Ash is not taking into account the hot weather last week (in North Devon it was quite cool) and the need to keep horses relaxed. Also, and I believe I am right in saying this, the advertised start time is not the exact moment a race must begin but the earliest time a race can be started. Started before the advertised start time can lead to the race to being voided.

I think you will find that the delay is caused more by a combination of the loading procedure and jockeys being allowed to congregate as far from the stalls as they can. Without the rope, I honestly believe that flat jockeys would take a leaf out of their jump colleagues book and gather beyond shouting distance from the starter. With the exception of those who must be loaded last, I believe (and perhaps this could be trialled) horses drawn low should congregate on the side of the loading area where they are to be loaded and high numbers on the other side, with the loading staff similarly split likewise. Then at the same time the highest and lowest drawn are loaded, then the next highest and lowest and so on until only those with dispensation to be loaded late are enstalled. This would speed-up start times. I believe.

The Horse Whisperer has died, aged 91. Monty Roberts, he of the Monty Roberts loading rug (though Sir Mark Prescott claims he invented the rug) made a huge contribution to most sectors of the equine world. His method of breaking horses  brought him fame and gave the horse world an alternative method of teaching a horse to accept the saddle and the rider. His critcism of the method he thought cruel was not the European way of breaking a horse but the way 'cowboys' broke a wild horse, the 'breaking' meaning the breaking of a horse's spirit. He had no real problem with the traditional way racehose trainers in Europe broke in a horse. His method was quicker, no doubt, but not necessarily better. Where Monty Roberts was, in my opinion, undoubtedly right was in his opposition to the use of the whip. To quote him, and please keep this in mind when you debate or hear others debating the subject. 'One day, it'll all be whip-free, because we are brighter than that. Whipping a flight animal to make it go faster is stupid. It can't be right.' To argue with me on this subject is to argue with a man who knew horses more intimately than you, me or most of the people you will see astride a horse at any equine discipline.