'They're absolutely thrilled' - the King and Queen suddenly have a shot at Classic glory

Twelve months on, Doncaster will feel so different on the day it hosts the 247th St Leger.

Last year, in a break with tradition, the oldest Classic was run on a Sunday, delayed by 24 hours following the death three days earlier of Queen Elizabeth II. A picture of Her Late Majesty adorned the cover of a beautiful black racecard whose purchasers arrived to the sound of a lone piper playing Amazing Grace outside the racecourse entrance. Then, at 12.10pm, jockeys, trainers, officials and other racing mourners created two horseshoe formations as the track was hushed for an impeccably observed two-minute silence. On its completion, God Save the King was heard on a British racecourse for the first time since the reign of King George VI. 

While the national anthem was being sung, King Charles III's mother had already begun her final journey's opening stage, from her beloved Balmoral to Edinburgh. It was at Balmoral the previous weekend that she had spent time with her racing and bloodstock adviser John Warren, working on the mating plan for mares whose progeny will not compete on racecourses until 2026 at the earliest. Even then, she was looking to the future. Now her son and his wife have something imminent and immensely exciting to contemplate.