'We went down to 30 horses, nothing was going right and I felt I was wasting my life - but now I use that dark time as fuel'

George Scott finds himself in exalted company at present. Alongside Aidan O'Brien and Charlie Appleby, he is one of only three trainers to have annexed Group 1 races in Britain and abroad this year, which helps explain the sense of joie de vivre at his Eve Lodge Stables in Newmarket. 

This season has started with the same purpose as the last one ended for Scott. At the start of October, the 37-year-old was still searching for his first success at the highest level, but by the end of the following month Caballo De Mar had won the Prix du Cadran in France and Bay City Roller had run away with the Preis von Bayern in Germany to shed a weighty monkey from their trainer's back. 

The same two horses have repeated the dose this term. Caballo De Mar was again a Group 1 winner in France and then, barely a week ago, Bay City Roller gave Scott the biggest success of his training career when landing the Coronation Cup at Epsom.