If ever there was a day of destiny for a horse, it was June 1st for City Of Troy – Derby Day. Remember Tesio’s famous quote, Coolmore’s unwavering belief that this is the race that defines a three-year-old, and the hype behind the champion juvenile colt, our ‘best ever’. It all took a massive deflation in the 2000 Guineas. He had to deliver now.

And there were plenty of doubts, the American dirt side of his pedigree, the distance, even his size. And then he was drawn one. For the hype colt to go off at 3/1, you knew he had question marks. From stall one, not one that produced many Derby winners, Moore would have to go forward again?

But no, he bided his time, slowly away and towards the back, on the rail. It was a tense watch, would the horse deliver? He was far enough back on the run to Tattenham Corner, way off the old Lester position, one back, two out (from the rail). Rounding Tattenham Corner, his path to the front is not clear. Ambiente Friendly travelling easily and has clear daylight in front of him. Then, on the rail, it opens up. And at the furlong pole, like his maternal grandsire Galileo, City Of Troy hit the front in the Derby and it’s race over. “What a comeback,” the commentator calls.

Ezeliya wasn’t favourite for the Oaks. The Aga Khan colours had history in this race. Not good history.

When you are not the champion jockey, and with Irish racing being so competitive and Ryan Moore taking home a lion’s share of the classic wins, you know your times to take a big win are numbered. Gotta take those opportunities. Chris Hayes knew that. He won his first Irish classic on Awtaad eight years ago. There were a few more decent wins since, but Hayes had just seven rides in Britain in 2024.

He had a great partnership with Tahiyra last season, but you felt the English Guineas might have been the one that got away. This was a second chance.

Ezeliya was well-placed turning Tattenham Corner, she travelled well, but the Godolphin blue of Dance Sequence strikes first, the good big one beats the good little one, isn’t that the saying?

But not here, there may not be much of Ezeliya, but she stuck to her task as the Godolphin filly wavered. Hayes drove her clear to a decisive win and saluted at the line. Not quite Barzalona style, but you know it meant a lot. Later in an interview on RacingTV with Lydia Hislop, when asked how it felt, he says: “Brilliant, a little bit surreal, when you dream of how things work out and you get a chance to win these races.

“It’s massive, I was raging last year when I got beat in the Guineas and a few years ago it was in the Derby, I felt like these buses are passing by and I’m just not getting on the first step, but riding these colours, these pedigrees, it feels like I’m in a dream and I’m going to wake up shortly.”

He said in another interview: “I actually said if she wins, I’ll be real cool, calm and collected like a Mick Kinane, but this is unique and it was just a surge of adrenaline in the last 50 yards - I had to do something.”

Dermot Weld added to the occasion: “That’s my 25th English or Irish classic and classic races are the pinnacle, that’s what you do it for. You can have all the sprinters you like, but give me a classic any day of the week, that’s what you’ll be remembered for.” One box ticked for Chris Hayes.

‘Things can only get better’ is a fair old theme song. Or maybe take, if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again, as your motto.

Captain Guinness and Rachael Blackmore didn’t have a happy experience on their first Cheltenham, brought down in the Supreme. A third in the Arkle and a second place in the Champion Chase had been better. But that looked the best they could hope for?

A hot looking 2024 Champion Chase didn’t offer encouragement. But, perseverance worked for Henry de Bromhead with Special Tiara. He won it on his fourth attempt, when things fell his way.

Here we were again. Nicky Henderson withdrew Jonbon, El Fabiolo messed up. Edwardstone fell. The hill is long, but the race was his. Owner Declan Landy said in this paper a week later: “On cloud nine, I was in outer space!”

The Festival win meant even more when the combination had been together from the beginning, bought as a young horse and winning his first race, a Naas bumper with Blackmore. Rewards for that are often hard to find, but this one really worked out.

We’d been here before. Galopin Des Champs was Gold Cup favourite and won it well in 2023. But he’d had an extra Grade 1 run this season and was facing a horse who had beaten him twice in Fastorslow. This was a tougher race and a tougher pace and Galopin Des Champs was not far off it. Third on the first circuit, as The Real Whacker from L’Homme Presse led.

Fastorslow departed at the last plain fence down the back, but the pace moved on down the hill and, on the run for the final bend, L’Homme Presse heads for home. Paul Townend is caught behind the loose Fastorslow. Which side to go? Townend waited to after the second last to commit. Then push, push, long stride, fully committed to the last. The horse is with him 100%, lengthens and lands safely. “A massive jump over the last,” Simon Holt calls in commentary. Fastorslow is still a nuisance on the run-in, but Galopin Des Champs is as true to the cause as his rider. A second Gold Cup fully earned.

You are in one of the most famous set of racing colours. The owner’s greats have won this race – Dancing Brave, Enable. It’s Europe’s finest and it’s only your second ride in the race. You had one ride before, but that Amo job is since gone. Got to begin again.

Bluestocking had been a fine servant, but it took to July of her four-year-old career to win a Group 1. Maybe just ride to pick up the pieces here? A placing would be a terrific effort? None of that.

Racing in second place, Ryan went for home early in the straight. The filly is in the lead, two furlongs out in Europe’s greatest race. That took confidence. Remember Frankie and Enable getting caught by Waldgeist?

With a strong, fist-pumping ride to the line, the filly justified every inch of the rider’s belief in her.

A jubilant Ryan told Equidia soon after passing the line: “I know everyone overlooked her, but on form she had been at the top table and done it all. I can’t really believe it, this filly has been something else to my career.” But it took the rider to believe in her.

On October 30th, Robbie Dolan tweeted on X, Stoked to have my first Melbourne cup ride on Tuesday, a day every jockey dreams of as a kid.

And what a dream it turned out to be. Dolan had already been on a bit of a ride to take him to the verge of this big moment. After heading to Australia, he had made a bit of a name for himself on Group 1 winner Profondo during the covid times, but it was through his singing ability that he became well-known, coming through the early rounds of The Voice Australia, just losing at the quarter final stage. It led to him performing the famous anthem before the Cox Plate a few years ago.

His dad’s surprise visit was the cream on the moment and it seemed the Cup never left his hand, as Dolan went on a week of media appearances that reached a worldwide audience.

The sight of him leaving the track with his partner Christine, baby Maisie, suitcase and his Melbourne Cup trophy was one of the images of the year.

Handicappers don’t win races like the King George. This is a race for the Arkles, Best Mates and Kauto Stars.

I, and many like me, wrote off Hewick immediately from the King George line-up. It was easy to pull holes in his form at this elite level.

Shark Hanlon knew his horse better. And the drama unfurled dramatically. Bravemansgame wasn’t dominant, Allaho had not got away from his field and it was Shishkin making the best of his way home, Hewick still 10 lengths off the leader three out. Then Shishkin stumbled after the second last. Hewick made up three lengths by the last and keeps coming.

Hanlon had given rider Gavin Sheehan confidence, in saying he’d keep going when others found it tough.

On watching the race, Hanlon said afterwards: “Turning out of the back, I said we will still be in the first three. It was some ride. I thought the game was up, but he has such a heart. He is a small horse. When he was walking around the ring, and you see all the big horses, and he is 16 hands, he is like ‘what am I doing here?’ He has speed, but we know he stays, as he won over three miles five.

“Hewick is as tough a horse in England or Ireland as you will find. The people of Ireland and England love him as well. He has shown that anything is possible. It gives every person that has a horse in training a hope,” Hanlon said at the time. Things got a bit trickier for the trainer through the year, but on St Stephen’s Day, he and his horse were the unlikely heroes.

It was barely even a blunder, but the dream was over.

It just takes eight words in the record book to record the end of a Gold dream - in touch with leaders, mistake and unseated 16th.

The talk is always of the Cheltenham Hill as the decider, but in fact, more Gold Cup races are lost on that run on the second circuit from the water jump to beginning to run downhill to the third last. By that stage this year, Fastorlow was travelling well upsides Galoping Des Champs, over the ditch, on to the next… It was barely noticeable, Fastorslow jumped the fence, suddenly his ride was on the deck. The Gold Cup chance was gone in the blink of an eye.

He had his moment again at Punchestown, but with the horse now sidelined by injury, surely the Gold Cup is gone forever.