And if he is not the best horse in the world, few would argue with his being the most resilient. He raced just once at two, running Norse Dancer to a head in a Salisbury maiden, before fracturing his near-fore pastern, an injury that needed the insertion of a metal plate and three screws to save his life and rendered his chances of racing again no better than 50-50.He recovered, but in the spring of his three-year-old career suffered an adverse reaction to the alien inserts, which delayed his reappearance until July. For Phoenix Reach's catalogue of physical vicissitudes would not shame Black's Veterinary Dictionary. That the five-year-old has not only raced 13 times worldwide but has won three Group 1 contests reflects very well indeed on his young trainer Andrew Balding, in only his third season with the licence at his historic Berkshire base. Witness one of the runners in Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes For Steve Austin, read Phoenix Reach And at Kingsclere, they have the technology. What is it about his nakedness that makes it such a threat? Would he be more successful if he called himself an installation artist? Or should he ask 1,699 naked friends to join him on his walks?RICKY GILBYHULL. That a horse wins a race may be a cause for celebration and amazement.
But the real achievement, as most trainers are aware, is getting the beast on to the track in the first place, and then keeping it there. The thoroughbred, for all its being purpose-bred for athletic endeavour, is frighteningly prone to falling apart. How could Maria Eagle explain that 22 per cent of private school pupils were diagnosed with dyslexia but only 2 per cent in state schools? Could it be that middle-class parents of privately educated children have found out that children diagnosed with dyslexia can get up to 25 per cent longer to complete their examination papers?JEREMY AXTENADDLESTONE SURREY Naked threat Sir: It was OK for 1,700 naked people to walk across the Millennium Bridge in Gateshead (report, 18 July), but the naked rambler just keeps getting arrested (In Brief, 20 July). Heath was the first lower-middle class Tory leader but that is a different matter.COLIN ARMSTRONGBELFASTSir: Ted Heath might have died from any of a range of illnesses associated with the ageing process, but he did not die of "old age", as stated in your report of 18 July. Old age is not an illness and until such time as quality papers stop using such terminology ageism will continue to thrive.NEIL LANGLEYLONDON E2 Dyslexic discrepancy Sir: I note David Cameron's question reported in Simon Carr's column (15 July). Austen and Neville Chamberlain and Stanley Baldwin came from upper-middle class stock in the Midlands.
And while Harold Macmillan married the daughter of a duke, he himself was the son of a successful publisher. Segregation based on religion cannot be the way forward when integration and tolerance are so crucial to the next generation.ALICE BRIGHTLONDON SW15 Ruling classes Sir: According to Michael Brown, Sir Edward Heath was "the first Tory leader of the 20th century not to have come from the aristocracy" ("How Ted Heath inspired us young Tories", 19 July).The 20th century Tories had other non-aristocratic leaders Bonar Law was the son of Presbyterian minister. Even if one has sympathy with the Palestinian cause, the use of suicide bombings is just as nihilistic and barbaric in Tel Aviv as it is in London.ANDREW LEE-HARTWALLASEY, MERSEYSIDE 0 No more faith schools Sir: Surely Blair and his government must now reconsider their commitment to faith schools. In both cases the terrorists have deliberately targeted members of the public as a protest against a particular government. It is absurd to suggest that BBC Sport can only cover an Olympic event if the whole department happens to be based in the same city. Perhaps your next report will be about BBC Sport moving to Beijing in 2008?MARK THOMPSONDIRECTOR-GENERAL, BBC LONDON W12 Fair comparison Sir: It is certainly fair to draw comparisons between the suicide bombings in London and those in Israel ("Israel and London are not equivalent", letters, 18 July).
