The question of whether or not blank Sundays are an industry indulgence or an acknowledgement of declining spectator appeal could arise again when the 2020 fixture list is announced next month. Informed sources suggest consideration is being given to reducing the number of blank Sundays to perhaps just a couple. Inevitably such a prospect is either good or bad depending on your opinion.

It was nice to get home for two weeks after such a successful season in Australia where I won the two New South Wales apprentice titles— the one for the provincial tracks but most importantly, the Metropolitan championship in Sydney, where all the top racing is. The likes of Hugh Bowman and Tommy Berry have won that and jockeys generally go on to have a good career afterwards.