AS time passes things are constantly changing and not always for the better, so when one learnt on Monday that John Oxx would cease training at the end of this flat season, it represented the conclusion of one of the great chapters in Irish racing.

At a time when superlatives are bandied about all too frequently, this news can truly be classed as the end of an era and the end of a truly outstanding career in which the name John Oxx became synonymous with excellence the world over.