Classic day for Norman Gundill as Billesdon Brook breaks new ground

You'd never have thought Norman Gundill could be prouder than when he received an MBE from the Queen – but you'd never have thought a Classic winner would turn up at Pontefract either.

That royal honour six years ago was for 'services to racing' and the presence of Billesdon Brook on a miserably drizzly Tuesday in West Yorkshire is a similarly fitting reward for dedication and devotion to the sport.

The fact that the filly who saw off Ballydoyle, Godolphin and the rest in last year's 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket should now be lining up in the Pipalong Stakes is fitting tribute to the man who has spent a lifetime trying to show there is more to Pontefract than liquorice and coal mines.