ONE horse who will not be lining up at any festival this year is Don Cossack whose retirement was announced this week. It is hard luck for any owner to have to retire a Gold Cup winner or a Grand National winner within a year of their great achievements let alone two in the same period. I hope that the illustrious residents of the retirement paddock at Gigginstown are in full view of their owner as his famous taxi heads on its way each morning.

On the subject of great racehorses, I was amused when Donald Trump’s victory speech referred, in the context of being a fellow winner, to the legendary Triple Crown winner Secretariat. I wonder if Mr Trump realised that Secretariat’s second career, as a stallion, failed to reproduce the success of his first. Not that I expect he cares that much.