Baaeed and Frankel were titans of the turf - but Sea The Stars stands alone

In the end it was not to be. The horse who enthralled us in high summer was undone by a changing of the seasons. A pre-race autumnal downpour drenched the Ascot turf, which served to blunt Baaeed’s brilliance.

It was a frustrating final episode in a five-act drama that had us on the edge of our seats. There would be no Frankel-esque reprise from a horse frequently advanced as the second coming and whose career to that point had been exemplary.

Did Baaeed’s eclipse tarnish his reputation as a contemporary great? No, it didn’t. A more relevant question is whether Baaeed actually warranted the mantle of greatness on the balance of his overall achievements.