EVERY challenge you can imagine was presented and overcome. As a last resort, COVID-19, or coronavirus to you and me, became the buzzword, and there was worry among the press corps and the whispering masses that some of the human stars at the inaugural Saudi Cup weekend would fail to appear.

Fear not. The virus threat was just another test of Tom Ryan’s stoicism and, with the not inconsiderable family influence of HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, the chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, a royal decree was obtained to allow superstars such as Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori to come to the Kingdom – and we are not talking about Kerry.