The Irish flat thoroughbred racehorse rankings for 2014 were released yesterday, confirming once again the impact Irish-trained horses are having on the global stage.

“I don’t want to blow him up in any way but from Day One, when he was born, he was very exceptional”

THE absence of St Nicholas Abbey takes some of the intrigue from today’s Investec Epsom Derby but, for all that the Ballydoyle team will miss the horse they believed ‘could walk on water’, the stable dominated the major trials and appears to hold all the aces today.