Still thinking big

THOSE few minutes between the victory of the over-enthusiastically ridden Rewilding and the subsequent interviews of connections of runner-up So You Think after the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot were dark ones for punters and racing fans who had subscribed to the idea that the vanquished ex-Aussie star was the second coming.

In a frantic finish, Pegasus had his wings clipped but, through some stark admissions and self-deprecating remarks from trainer Aidan O'Brien and owner John Magnier, faith was somehow restored and the wings were back on.

It wasn't the horse's fault, we heard. It wasn't the jockey's fault either. And it wasn't pacemaker Jan Vermeer's fault. Because So You Think had done things so easily in his first two outings of the season, his trainer blamed himself for leaving the five-year-old short of work. Owner John Magnier suggested it was a culmination of numerous factors.