ONE of the feel-good results of Royal Ascot, especially for the Irish, was Joe Murphy and Gary Carroll gaining their first Group 1 win with the ultra-game Cercene in the Coronation Stakes. The €50,000 filly provided further proof that it’s still possible for ‘the small man’ to beat the big boys on the greatest stage, once they have the right ammunition.

Both Carroll and Murphy are popular figures in Irish racing, and congratulations will be received for a long time from now. On Wednesday, Murphy was back with his old colleagues in the National Hunt division, browsing wares at Tattersalls Ireland, where it took him 40 minutes to make it through one barn, given the number of well-wishers.