Litigant, a 33-1 shot, captured the Ebor Handicap, the richest Flat-racing handicap in Europe, over one mile and six furlongs at York.

He is seven years old now and, before yesterday, had run just seven times in his life.

Kicking again three furlongs from home, it momentarily looked like young Donnacha O’Brien might record a famous success, but his run began to falter as Litigant came to the fore. To get him to the racecourse yesterday was an achievement in itself.

Litigant had been absent from the track for 491 days when he went into the stalls with Oisin Murphy, more than a year longer than any of his 18 opponents.

“Every day for the last two months has been about the Ebor but he is a very delicate horse. A lot of work has got into this and for it to pay off is superb”. We had our chance and we have no excuses. “We will go for the [Group One] Middle Park now and take it from there”. This race had been his target through almost 500 days of nervous preparation.

“A bit softer ground would have suited him but he lost nothing in defeat”.