'I thought of giving up. Then I had Salsabil, Dayjur and got another ten years'

There were times last week when the famous royal blue and white silks of Hamdan Al Maktoum looked as though they had taken up near-permanent residency in the Ascot winner's enclosure.

The timing of the Shadwell empire's burst of form will no doubt have brought great satisfaction to Sheikh Hamdan, even as he was denied his usual royal meeting rituals in line with every other owner.

The rampant form of the team fell on the approach to the 30th anniversary of another remarkable purple patch, both for those silks and for Willie Carson, the man indelibly associated with wearing them for many years.