The Leger legend who always put a smile on Pat Smullen's face

The eyes of the racing world will be trained on Stradivarius's bid for Ascot immortality next month, chasing a fourth Gold Cup that would cement his legacy in an extremely select club – one that is already home to the valiant Vinnie Roe.

Since the Pattern was created in 1971, only four horses have managed to win the same European Group 1 Flat race four times. The last three were Stradivarius, who has dominated the Goodwood Cup since its elevation to top-level status, Prix Rothschild heroine Goldikova and Gold Cup great Yeats.

The first and only other horse to achieve the feat arguably may not be as widely revered as that trio, but undoubtedly left his followers with a host of indelible memories across a sublime six-season career, fuelled by his trademark toughness. They don't often make them like Dermot Weld's remarkably game Vinnie Roe.