A look at entries for Sunday's Group One City Stewards' Cup is a vivid reminder of the punishment that goes with the admirable quality of consistency.
We were surprised to see Down Town was on a domestic rating of 123, which seems awfully high for a horse whose biggest win was a Group Three handicap in October.
The greater irony is that Down Town now owns the same rating as Floral Pegasus, who defeated him in four successive Group races early last year - the Chinese Club Challenge Cup, Classic Mile, Derby Trial and Hong Kong Derby.
While Floral Pegasus brilliantly won the first three and was then beaten by an eyelash by Vital King in the Derby, Down Town finished second, sixth, third and eighth. At level weights, his margins of inferiority behind Floral Pegasus were 3.5 lengths, 2.3 lengths and 4.3 lengths.
Floral Pegasus went into the Classic Mile on a rating of 120, and came out the other end with the same rating, but his connections were many millions richer. Down Town went into the series on a rating of 115, got one placing and a mere fraction of the prize money that Floral Pegasus accumulated and finished it still scheduled to receive only five pounds from the Tony Cruz-trained galloper at handicaps - zero relief for his trouble.
Floral Pegasus performed with distinction in the International Mile Trial for second, then turned in a huge effort in the Hong Kong Mile for fourth after being three wide with no cover.
