IN all the excitement of one of the most emotional Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victories, another stunning success might have gone under the radar a little.

Less than an hour-and-a-half after Alpinista gave one of racing’s great characters, Sir Mark Prescott, the biggest win of his long training career, The Platinum Queen scorched to victory in the Prix de l’Abbaye.

It was a notable win for several reasons but one that shouldn’t have really been allowed to happen.

Take nothing away from Yorkshire trainer Richard Fahey and it was another top-level victory for jockey Hollie Doyle.

The ownership is probably even more significant as The Platinum Queen races in the familiar colours of prolific syndicate Middleham Park Racing.

To watch the celebrations of a bunch of ordinary racing fans, who cannot have dreamed they would be picking up the trophy after a Group 1 race on one of the biggest days, was heartwarming.

They clearly have a wonderful filly on their hands with so much to look forward to.

The Platinum Queen headed over to Longchamp with three wins already in the bag and she had been touched off in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

It’s impossible not to admire such a fast filly giving everyday racing enthusiasts the ride of a lifetime.

The heart swells from such a victory, but the head is not so keen.

Group 1 races are the pinnacle of Flat racing. The best of the best competing to find out who is the, err, best.

There are plenty of top races confined to juveniles and others just for fillies but the open Group 1s create racing greats.

To allow a two-year-old to win such a prize by handing the youngest generation huge weight allowances just doesn’t sit right.

The Platinum Queen has been well placed, no doubt. Following a debut win she had been well beaten in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot before showing lightning speed to win a York novice and a Goodwood conditions race.

Instead of sticking to races of her own age group, she was returned to York for the Group 1 Nunthorpe, where she chased home Highfield Princess to finish runner-up in Britain’s premier five-furlong sprint.

It’s a race with a roll of honour littered with champions. From Abernant and Sharpo to Dayjur, Lochsong and Oasis Dream, some of the truly great sprinters have landed the Nunthorpe.

More recently Battaash, one of the fastest sprinters to ever set hoof on a racecourse, twice won the dash down York’s straight.

In among those racing legends are five two-year-old winners. None of them can be considered champions, so it just seems unfair to make those juveniles competitive by allowing them such huge weight breaks.

The Platinum Queen, getting both the age and fillies’ allowance, was recieving 20lbs from most of her rivals.

She held off fellow filly White Lavender by just a head getting 17lbs from Karl Burke’s four-year-old.

There was a neck back to third-placed Coeur De Pierre.

It was a brave performance by a lightning-fast and brave youngster. But was she the best horse in the race? Not a bit of it.

Weight-for-age allowances are important to level the playing field in many races. But the open Group 1s shouldn’t have an aim of giving allcomers a shot at the prize.

They should be to find out, quite simply, which horse is the best.

Two-year-olds get plenty of chances to win at the top level in their own age groups. They just shouldn’t be handed such an opportunity to beat older generations through artificial means.

They should wait their turn and take their chance on level terms when, and only then, can they be considered champions.