Lion conquers the Dragon but Brown has no time to back him

Once upon a time, the eve of Eclipse Friday was Hong Kong Jockey Club Cup day, an afternoon that hosted not only a hotly contested £100,000 handicap but also Channel 4's cameras. When Hong Kong quit the Sandown card so did the telly. All that is left of the old Far East connection is a mythical fire-breathing monster.

The title of the Listed Dragon Stakes is the sole remaining legacy of what this day used to be, and in former bookmaking stalwart John Brown it was yesterday won by an owner for whom valuable big-field handicaps formed an important part of his work life.

Having been on the William Hill payroll for well over four decades before leaving the firm 13 years ago, Brown recognises value when he sees it. At 10-11 he knew his speedy juvenile The Last Lion was value in the Racing UK-backed Dragon dash. Unfortunately, he had no time to do anything about it.