'Frankie would be the greatest jockey I've ever put on a horse'

Among the many held in thrall by Sir Peter O’Sullevan's fabled storytelling was John Gosden. When the two hooked up it was natural for O’Sullevan to revive memories of his close confidante Vincent O’Brien, at whose stable Gosden worked in his youth.

It is therefore unlikely that The Voice ever told Gosden about the time he interviewed the trainer Paddy Prendergast before the 1965 Flat season. Prendergast had dominated the juvenile scene the previous year and was about to serve up a series of mouthwatering dishes before the Newmarket Classics.

For a bit of fun, O’Sullevan rang the picture editor at the Daily Express and asked him to mock up a photograph of 'maitre Prendergast' in a giant chef’s hat.