Proust prose just the ticket - but provided scant solace in 1992

There was a time when Cloudberry's narrow victory at Sandown nine days ago would have gone on the list of significant triumphs.

There's a wishy-washy word for you, 'significant'. As for triumph, well. Might as well get it all out in the open and admit it would have been a sweat-soaked, end it or mend it, 'let this win and I'll behave better, honest I will' sort of bet. I nearly said investment, but the still small voice in that part of my brain on the look-out for pretentiousness of any kind wouldn't have it. And triumph won't quite do, either. Rejoicing in the comfort of strangers in the quiet, unassuming Italian restaurant you've always fancied but couldn't afford amounts to overwhelming relief - 10-11 relief - nothing more, nothing less.

Cloudberry, unpenalised for winning an apprentices' race at Kempton and with Roger Charlton keen to use the talented David Egan again just seven days later, looked a good thing - but you had to be up and about early to beat evens. In the end he was well and truly rousted by Egan to get back up again close home.