WE all have races and horses which sealed our love of the game at an early stage. For my generation, there was Red Rum vs Crisp and Grundy vs Bustino in the mid-1970s (I was a precocious type). For future ones, Enable vs Crystal Ocean may serve the same sort of role following their epic duel in the closing stages of last Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

More accomplished wordsmiths than I have already painted pictures of how things unfolded, of how Crystal Ocean (officially the highest rated horse in the world going into the race) struck for home on straightening up, was soon headed by the dual Arc winner Enable, but then came back to battle nose to nose until the mare got on top close home. I can at least provide some numbers.