Season of mystifyingly fruitless favourites, autumn has arrived to make things tricky again

Is this the rhythm for a typical Flat season? Unpredictable through spring, settling down to explicable results through summer, becoming a bit mad again in autumn as the rain arrives and the summer stars feel they've done enough for the time being.

That's broadly how it seems to have worked in 2024, anyway. The Newmarket Guineas winners were 16-1 and 28-1. The French versions produced winning SPs of 24-1 and 31-1. Audience caused a turn-up in the Lockinge at 22-1. 

Then both jollies came good in the Irish Guineas and we seemed to be back on terra firma. Favourites prevailed in the Derby, Prince of Wales's Stakes, Gold Cup, Eclipse and Juddmonte International. It hasn't all been predictable (don't mention the King George . . .) but the earth wasn't constantly shifting beneath our feet.