Love, Snowfall, now Emily Upjohn - superstar fillies or just grossly flattered?

An outcome very few anticipated was redeemed in no small part by the winning connections. If any big-race winner should shred the formbook, as Pyledriver did in the King George, far better that racing's bread-and-butter folk are the ones to benefit.

Here, after all, was a horse who failed to make his 10,000gns reserve when offered for sale as a foal. And here was a horse whose dam failed to win in five starts over hurdles for Philip Hobbs in 2015. Yet Pyledriver's improbable triumph brought rich pickings to owners who dared to dream. Throughout all the ups and downs, they never lost faith.

The nearly horse has morphed, in the process puncturing some inflated reputations. Runner-up Torquator Tasso has won an Arc but he was the only other King George runner to enhance themselves. Mishriff hit a brick wall two furlongs out after chasing the breakneck pace, Broome again had his limitations exposed, while three-year-olds Westover and Emily Upjohn were pale imitations of themselves.