'Is there a reason you took him back so far?' - Gosden's debrief with Dettori

It felt horribly appropriate that in the very next race Frankie Dettori was beaten into second on a horse called Saga.

That particular contest, the Britannia Stakes, was followed by a trophy presentation ceremony in which the prizes were given out by television's Judge Rinder. Less than an hour earlier, his services might have come in handy. For as John Gosden and Frankie Dettori spoke to each other following a Gold Cup they will both long remember, the sweltering Ascot atmosphere became ever hotter.

There would be no point in either party pretending it did not happen. As Stradivarius was walked around by groom Bradley Bosley, it was obvious to anyone watching Dettori and Gosden interact that the exchange was animated.