The greatest races go hand in hand with some of the greatest horses. Here then is our top 5 greatest races of all time.

1. Quashed and Omaha in the Gold Cup, 1936: To see Quashed and Omaha battle out the finish of the Ascot Gold Cup took years off a man’s life, though it was well worth it.

2. Grundy and Bustino in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes 1975: The hardest, most implacable, most moving Flat race most have ever seen - a judgment widely shared about a contest soon dubbed ‘The Race of the Century.

3. Arkle and Mill House in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1964: A race so fabled there’s even a song about it - Dominic Behan’s boozy ballad ‘Arkle‘ - that chronicled the famous showdown between two young and apparently unbeatable steeplechasers.

4. Mandarin in the Grand Steeplechase de Paris 1962: Sheer heroism from horse and jockey. Mandarin’s bit broke early in the race, leaving Fred Winter with no brakes or steering around Auteuil’s dizzying four-mile figure-of-eight circuit, but a combination of leg-power and willpower kept the partnership intact

5. Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes 1973: One of the greatest displays of individual equine brilliance in the modern era.