Michael Cox

Aidan O’Brien has had his say: he’s not in favour. Francis-Henri Graffard has said his piece: he is in favour. The French maestro Andre Fabre has let his view be known, and he’s against it. The France-Galop announcement this week that its board has voted in favour of allowing geldings to race in France’s great weight-for-age race, the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, has rattled some cages and divided opinion. That’s understandable.

He won the Melbourne Cup and trained some of Japan’s greatest champions – then retired to follow a spiritual calling. After the Noto earthquake, Katsuhiko Sumii has found a second life in Suzu, where rescued racehorses help hold a disappearing town together. Katsuhiko Sumii: The Trainer Who Walked Away He won the Melbourne Cup and trained some of Japan’s greatest champions – then retired to follow a spiritual calling.