ON his 40th start at the Curragh, last year as an eight-year-old, Big Gossey (Gutaifan) won the Listed Gladness Stakes, his first victory in a blacktype contest. At the weekend, making his 50th start at headquarters, he repeated his win in the same race, his first success since the same meeting 12 months ago, and took his tally to 11 wins and a total of 45 top-four finishes in a noble career that now stretches to 86 starts.

There will surely be a race named in honour of Big Gossey at the Curragh where he has posted nine of his 11 wins – the other two have come at Dundalk. He has never travelled outside Ireland to race, and indeed has never gone more than a short drive from Charles O’Brien’s yard to compete. He went up to Co Louth on 22 occasions to race at Dundalk, ran 11 times at Naas, twice travelled to Fairyhouse, and made a single excursion to Leopardstown.