John Oxx – a racing titan who never changed despite the setbacks

Last month, on the day John Oxx revealed his retirement plan, racing’s news agenda was dominated by the announcement that Enable’s track career had arrived at the same juncture.

It inevitably meant Oxx didn’t get the same degree of fanfare that his decision warranted and would otherwise have demanded.

Such an unobtrusive intervention seemed in keeping with one of the most dignified and self-effacing individuals to bestride the upper echelons of the international Flat racing realm over the past 40 years. No fuss, no hype, no ego.