The fondest of farewells to a lovable rogue bursting with talent but so determinedly unwilling to use it

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It's my sombre duty to share with you today a bit of bad news that has been drawn to my attention. But you might receive it as good news; much depends on your perspective. The great, the wonderful, the completely impossible Fox Tal has been retired.

There's always sadness on learning that one of your favourite racehorses will no longer be showing up at the track. Consolation lies in the knowledge that a less pressured way of life has been richly earned and can now be enjoyed, and that's certainly how it is with Fox Tal, who has been rehomed with someone who loves him and will keep him reasonably active.

But what a loss. There might never be another one like him in my lifetime, such a gorgeous animal, so bursting with talent and so determinedly unwilling to use it.

"He has been unbelievably frustrating but equally is deliciously adorable," Anna Lisa Balding tells the Front Runner. Fox Tal has been an absorbing, somewhat unrewarding part of her life for the past five years, since he turned up at the Kingsclere yard where she and her husband, Andrew, commit their lives to getting the best out of horses and people.

In the summer of 2018, Fox Tal was one of several horses due to carry the blue and white colours of an important new owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the man behind the King Power operation. A colt at the time, he had cost 475,000gns at the Book 1 sale of 2017.

The warning signs were there even before he raced. "The thing I really remember," Balding says, "is when Fox Tal came to the yard for the first time, I remember it so clearly, he was second on the right in the Mill Reef yard. We took him out of the box and showed him to Vichai and he was just so good-looking. Everyone was like, 'wow'."

"And then he would not go back in the box." This was a cause of some consternation. When you're trying to impress an owner with your facilities and your top-class training regime, you can do without one of your precious charges deciding to take the mickey.

"We were trying sweetly and calmly and kindly to take him back in, with the new owner seeing what he was like. So he's been consistently quirky."

Fox Tal hooked me at the St Leger meeting of 2019. It was only a small-field conditions race that he won but there was so much promise in his looks and his easy way of coasting between toiling rivals.

The next month, he was fourth in the Champion Stakes despite odds of 20-1, seeming to confirm my conviction that he was destined for the top. His record over the four subsequent seasons has been 1-21.

"Monkeys come in all different shapes and sizes," Balding says. "You want as many who want to win as possible. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that he did.

"He was a lovely page boy, which isn't actually what you want as a trainer or owner. Luckily, there aren't a great deal of them. He certainly made a name for himself.

Fox Tal: his career in a nutshell – £28,000 from races he won, £260,000 from races in which he was placedCredit: Edward Whitaker

As he showed by acting up in front of his owner, before he had even seen a racecourse, Fox Tal's attitude was not the growth of time or a reaction to any experience. It was just the way his head was wired.

"He knew what he wanted," Balding concludes. "But he was a very, very kind horse and, you know what, if a horse is kind, you'd do anything for them."

It took time for Fox Tal's nature to become clear to racefans. Hopefully, all of you cottoned on before I did. Eventually, there as a kind of joy in watching him. You might not know exactly what was going to happen but you could be pretty sure what wasn't going to happen...

There was a race at Wolverhampton last year when he met two rivals on very favourable terms, set off in front and was simply unable to hand the lead back at any stage. But you only have to look at his prize-money tallies to see his career in a nutshell – £28,000 from races he won, £260,000 from races in which he was placed.

For a long way, it looked like there was going to be a last hurrah at the Shergar Cup in August. He'd dropped to a helpful rating and was allowed to set a steady pace under 'Magic Man' Joao Moreira, then pulled clear in the straight. If there was a God, it would have worked. Instead, he got run down by Perotto. Imagine bumping into an actual Royal Ascot winner at the Shergar Cup.

Still, those who knew Fox Tal can't possibly have backed him to win. They may have collected with a place-only bet on the 20-1 shot.

I'd have liked a few more days like that but Fox Tal is seven and all good things come to an end. "It is sad but also I get such satisfaction out of rehoming our horses and seeing the photos and hearing the stories afterwards," Balding says.

"He's in great health, he looks wonderful, this is absolutely the right time to rehome him. We've got to do the best for him."

The great horse now lives in Berkshire with Sam Skillington, familiar to the Baldings from his work for Highclere. Amazingly enough, Skillington led the yearling Fox Tal around the Tattersalls sales ring six years ago.

"He said, we really want a new member of the family that we can enjoy and look after and take on fun rides and give a really good life to," Balding says. "And Fox Tal deserves that."

Racing has lost a lovable rogue. I shall remember him fondly.

Today's best bet by Andrew Cooper

I believe it pays to specialise when it comes to betting and the two all-weather cards split my attention. First up is The Conqueror, who contests the BetUK. It's Where The UK Bets Handicap at Lingfield (2.35) off bottom weight.

Chelmsford hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Jim Boyle of late (he's 0/48 there since the start of 2019), so it may not have been a huge surprise to the selection's army of supporters that he failed to do the business at the Essex track last time, but there are reasons to expect better here.

That was his first run for 51 days and following a gelding operation, and the race itself didn't pan out well.

He was drawn in three and Paddy Bradley found himself locked away on the rail, one or two further back than he'd have liked.

Kept towards the far rail and away from the action, he stuck on quite nicely in the straight to finish fifth.

The Conqueror competed in his first British handicap off a mark of 79 in April, having won three of his 12 starts in Germany, and it'll be bitterly disappointing if he doesn't at least go close off 50 here, assuming Benoit de la Sayette can adopt a better early position.

The Conqueror14:35 Lingfield (A.W)

View Racecard

Jky: Benoit De La Sayette Tnr: Jim Boyle

'He ought to be winning races' - Andrew Cooper with five all-weather selections on Tuesday 

Things to look out for today

Today's all-weather cards feature a couple of interesting changes of stable. In the last at Lingfield, Maharajas Express has joined Jack Jones, who has had an excellent year, even if recent weeks have been quiet. The three-year-old has dropped 13lb since July while with a yard that had an eight per cent strike-rate this year. He now returns to 6f, the distance at which he scored his only success a year ago, and cheekpieces are fitted for only the second time. Then at Wolverhampton, there's Beylerbeyi in a sprint handicap. His previous yard had a five per cent year but he is now with Ian Williams, having come down 13lb since September.

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The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, the reigning Racing Writer of the Year, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.