ONE thing is for certain. There was no happier man on Saturday, in spite of being unable to attend the races, than Sheikh Fahad. The popular figure watched with delight as Kameko strode to victory in the Group 1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, denying Wichita on the line. The victory was sweeter still (the name of Kameko’s dam!) as the son of Kitten’s Joy will surely already have a place at Tweenhills Stud lined up, an appropriate replacement in time for the much-missed Roaring Lion.

Some may have felt that the value of Kameko’s victory last year in the Group 1 Vertem Futurity at Newcastle, transferred to Tapeta from the turf, was questionable, given that he also met defeat twice, though only by a nose and a neck in the Group 3 Solario Stakes and Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes. However, the handicappers knew their job and he was rated the joint-second top-rated colt in Europe behind Pinatubo.