‘I don’t think we’ve achieved that much at all’

What defines greatness? Is it discipline, enthusiasm, focus, an ability to see and appreciate the bigger picture?

Is it having the humility to listen to others yet accept the buck stops with you? Is it the ability to bounce back and take lessons from disappointment? Is it the refusal to allow yourself be sated by success, to lose the hunger, to stop pushing the boundaries? Is it combination of all those qualities?

Aidan O’Brien ticks these boxes. All of them. His CV glitters. He has won the English 2000 Guineas six times, the Irish equivalent nine, five Ascot Gold Cups, seven Coronation Cups, the Irish Derby 10 times, the Epsom Derby four, the Breeders’ Cup Turf four as well as the Arc de Triomphe.