Sinndar is the 10th Irish trained winner of the Epsom Derby since the second World War, the first since 1984, and the only horse since Santa Claus in 1964 that doesn't have the name O'Brien in the space reserved for the trainer.
But at Epsom on Saturday no one could dispute the belief that John Oxx's name fits like a glove into racing's most glittering roll of honour. The unassuming yet deadly execution of Sinndar's success in the world's most famous race only confirmed his position among the world's best.
Oxx has spent over 20 years at the top of the trainers' tree, and has executed superb international victories in Europe and North America; yet he waited until the eve of his 50th birthday to saddle his first Derby runner. It was some wait, but a 100 per cent record in the Epsom Derby is some boast to wait for.
Not that Oxx would ever be the man to blow any trumpet, let alone his own. The Aga Khan, winning his fourth Derby with a home-bred runner, admitted after the race: 'A wise owner doesn't go into the Derby with expectations. Just hopes.'
Even compared to that guarded optimism, Oxx's pre-race comments owed more to a Leonard Cohen verse than to a Boyzone effort, but the hopes that were kindled after Sinndar's first run of the season at Leopardstown in April were fulfilled in glorious style.
'I came home after he was beaten at Leopardstown thinking this could be it,' Oxx admitted afterwards. 'He never does anything spectacularly at home, he'll never provoke headlines with his work, but he has a tremendous heart and really wanted to win.'
At his peak, jockey Johnny Murtagh (30), has never had his will to win questioned either. The Navan-born rider afterwards freely talked of his past problems, when problems with weight and alcohol briefly caused him to drop out of racing. But Epsom has again confirmed his big-race temperament.
So often the big races are won by the jockey who makes the fewest mistakes, but on Saturday Murtagh was inspired. Drawn on the wide outside, Murtagh raced Sinndar into a good position on the outside and then put him into an even better position behind the pace setters, Sakhee and Best Of The Bests.
Remarkably for a horse drawn on the outer, Sinndar found himself with perfect cover and a perfect position on the run to Tattenham Corner. It would be too easy to say Murtagh then only had to pull the metaphorical trigger, but at least he had provided Sinndar with a perfect line of fire. In the Derby no horse can ask for more.
Coming down the hill, the other Irish runner, Aristotle, was on Sinndar's inside, but pre-race confidence in the Aidan O'Brien horse evaporated even before the straight. Michael Kinane started rowing and the response was only enough to get 10th. 'He was struggling for most of the way,' reported Kinane, who at least was spared the horror ride of Olivier Peslier on Kingsclere who bolted on the way to the start and then hung further to the right than Franco all the way round.
In the straight, Sakhee provided the perfect lead to Sinndar as the favourite, Beat Hollow, met some slight interference and then flattered. Sakhee did anything but, yet Murtagh said he was always confident of picking him up.
'I got a beautiful run and I was sure I was going to win a furlong out. He is so brave and battles so well; you can tell you are going to win from the will of the horse,' said Murtagh.
Richard Hills, on the runner-up Sakhee, admitted through his disappointment that the winner was just a better horse on the day. 'I had a horse who gave me 110 per cent, but he just found one too good. Really, until inside the final furlong, I thought I had it won,' said Hills.
Beat Hollow's rider, Richard Quinn, reported: 'I got checked half way up the straight but it was nothing that made any difference to the result.'
Best Of The Bests looked cooked early in the straight but surprised onlookers by running on to be fourth. The Godolphin colt's American rider, Chris McCarron, admitted: 'I didn't expect to be in front. I wanted to try and follow three or four, but after the start everybody took their horses back.'
It may have been a nightmare for McCarron, but Murtagh summed up the feelings of the Irish camp best when he grinned: 'The only races I ever watched as a kid were the Derby and the Grand National. It's a dream to win this.'
