IT’S tempting to lump the achievements of Stradivarius in with everything else achieved by John Gosden during the year, but his feat in landing the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million is both remarkable enough in terms of his individual achievement, and of enough import to the future of the sport to be dealt with separately.

British racing has historically valued toughness and stamina above cheap speed, with the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot the traditional testing-ground for Derby and St Leger winners kept in training beyond their classic seasons.

Those to have added the Gold Cup to Derby success are Thormanby (1861), Gladiateur (1866), Blue Gown (1868), Cremorne (1873), Doncaster (1875), St Gatien (1885), Isinglass (1895), Persimmon (1897) Gainsborough (1918), Owen Tudor (1942) and Ocean Swell (1945).

The idea that a Derby winner in the modern era would attempt to join that band has become anathema, with the staying division as a whole losing commercial appeal since the Second World War.

NEW LIFE

Not long ago, there were calls to reduce the distance of the Gold Cup itself to two miles in an attempt to maintain the race’s viability, but thankfully the approach of the major powers, notably Coolmore and Godolphin has seen new life breathed into the Ascot showpiece and the top flat stayers are no longer the whipping boys of the sport.

It takes more than a Yeats or an Order Of St George to change old habits, however, and the need to commercially bolster the staying ranks remains an important task, so initiatives like the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million, and the massive increase in prize money for the top handicaps like the Ebor at York and the Cesarewitch at Newmarket are very welcome.

Battles between Le Moss and Ardross and those between the siblings Double Trigger and Double Eclipse used to light up the flat season, and while Stradivarius was able to dominate his rivals with a little more ease, the fact that he succeeded in landing that £1 million bonus will only encourage greater competition in future years within the discipline, and that must be a good thing for all aspects of the sport.

Bjorn Nielsen’s chesnut colt went unbeaten through his 2018 campaign, winning the Yorkshire Cup, Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Lonsdale Cup and British Champions Long Distance Cup, and became the first horse in precisely 50 years to remain undefeated in a campaign which included the biggest staying prize of all.

That only two of those races currently hold Group 1 status is point not lost on those who would champion the stayer as the ultimate racehorse, and it’s to be hoped that the current issue will be remedied as a natural product of a stronger programme.