It's not just breeders who are to blame for Europe's middle-distance decline - the handicappers are culpable too

The startling statistic unearthed by my colleague Lewis Porteous in his column this week was akin to a double-barrelled blast from a shotgun.

Britain’s inability to win a single domestic Group 1 race beyond a mile this season illustrates at a stroke where the training power lies. And its broader message amounts to a withering condemnation of where the breeding industry stands today.

In this respect, however, the problem is not Britain’s alone. With the exception of Coolmore and breeders in Germany, Europe as a whole has gravitated towards producing sprinting types, most of them with pedigrees that are corrupting influences when they retire to stud.