Brigadier Gerard: a defeat never to be forgotten for a paragon of the Flat

In the post-Frankel era, it’s almost as if a blanket ban has been imposed on the word 'great' being appended to any other racehorse.

Classic heroes and Triple Crown winners may have their merits, but the big box containing racing’s most super superlatives has been annexed by the unbeaten Juddmonte International winner of 2012.

After all, Frankel’s York success at a mile and a quarter treated the crowd to an extended version of the mighty talent it had already celebrated 12 times before. It was, in a word, stunning, yet compared to the events of 40 years earlier on the Knavesmire, it was like a plain clothes version of the Lord Mayor’s Show.