'An extraordinarily good man to deal with' - Kim Bailey pays tribute to late owner of First Flow and Harry Topper

Patience is a virtue and Tony Solomons, who died aged 95 last month, is said to have shown an abundance of it while owning racehorses for about half a century on the Flat and over jumps.

During that time, the former chairman of Singer & Friedlander owned several talented horses, including Herons Hollow, who was runner-up in the 1981 Lincoln when beaten half a length by Saher. The grey colt, trained by Guy Harwood and partnered by Greville Starkey, would have won with a better draw, but he ended up losing ground tacking over to the favoured side.

Solomons then owned Beldale Star, also trained by Harwood and who finished second by a neck in the Champagne Stakes (now known as the Vintage) at Goodwood in 1985. He won the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom by four lengths in 1986, but failed to fully build on that promise.