Australia’s brilliance can’t disguise the fact that the Irish Derby is in decline

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Saturday could hardly have got off to a worse start.

Roger Varian, after walking the track with his jockey, Andrea Atzeni, finally arrived at a decision that his Kingston Hill would miss the race.

Varian had warned all week that if the word firm appeared in the going description that his Epsom Derby runner-up would swerve the engagement.