AFTER a National Hunt season where the high spending owners grabbed the majority of the big prizes on offer, it could have been difficult to imagine that, back on the flat where a few big establishments generally dominate, the classic Guineas weekend would have brought such feel-good stories.

The two Guineas victories dovetailed both ends of the flat racing spectrum. A trainer with a legendary name in Irish racing, 83 years young, winning the 2000 Guineas 40 years after a previous victory.