ONE performance may determine a horse’s place in the history books or the opportunities he receives at stud, but it does not necessarily define him. Masar was the Group 1 Investec Derby hero of 2018, a race in which he beat Dee Ex Bee, Roaring Lion and Saxon Warrior by one and a half lengths, half a length, and two and a half lengths, but to describe him only as a top middle-distance horse would be inaccurate.

Indeed, in this overly speed-focused age it might even be a disservice. He was, like many of the best 12-furlong winners, a notably talented two-year-old, in his case beating the subsequent classic and dual mile Group 1 star Romanised by two lengths in the Group 3 Solario Stakes over seven furlongs at Sandown before finishing third to Happily in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Chantilly.