The war is also becoming increasingly Americanised, partly because of Mr Obama's surge, but also because a few NATO members, notably the Dutch and the Canadians, are bringing home their combat troops (while still, it seems, contributing trainers).
Stablemate Leitir Mor recovered from a slow start to set a fierce pace and, once Kevin Manning urged Dawn Approach into the lead, it seemed that trainer Jim Bolger's plans might come together.
If the trainer seems more interested in selling you supplements than helping you work out, get a different trainer.
"He really seems fine," the trainer said today.
Hiring a personal trainer seems just the next desperate step along the path of conformity.
The trainer seems to feel that breathing difficulties may have contributed to incidents when Many Clouds appeared unsteady after his races, including after his National success.
11.37 Turf Ulysses has not looked entirely at ease during the morning workouts here this week and, while Sir Michael Stoute, his trainer, seems unconcerned, it is off-putting at the prices, not least since Highland Reel has looked a picture.
The Malton trainer seems likely to offer the main resistance to O'Brien's three-strong team for this year's 1,000 Guineas on Sunday, however, as Lumiere, the Cheveley Park Stakes winner, goes up against Minding, who took the Fillies' Mile at Newmarket last October by four and a half lengths.
It seems that his trainer, Hirsch Jacobs, thought Joe would have won the Campbell the week before if he hadn't gone head and head with the early pace-setters, so he warned McCreary, who rode the beast, not to let that happen again in the Excelsior.
In an age when every trainer seems to want a "fresh" horse and nicely spaced out campaigns for their top-class performers, racing fans will get a chance to see a bit of a throwback approach from the Takeover Target camp in what will likely be the final two races of his illustrious career.
