Pale, exhausted and overcome - but Blackmore is also utterly brilliant

For a fleeting moment it was as though we had been transported back in time.

As our eyes fixed hard on the Gold Cup's conclusion, Minella Indo was leading A Plus Tard, the race turned into a duel between two horses who share the same address. This was how it was when the grandstands were empty and this festival took place in what felt like a separate planet, not just behind closed doors but detached from the rest of the world.

Then something happened. Rachael Blackmore happened. Whereas 12 months ago she chased in vain, this time she found herself not just in front but pulling further and further away, screamed, roared and willed up that most famous hill by an audience of devoted admirers who made a sound worthy of a momentous occasion. Last year Blackmore achieved so much in silence. Not this time. Here, in this sport's most coveted prize, she had her ovation.