It was as he strode the course at the Knavesmire ahead of his one ride of the day, and his last after 26 years in the saddle, during the Ebor meeting that the reality of the moment struck Paul Hanagan hard.
The tears began to flow, and they were not just those of the man who came from nowhere to ascend to the summit of his sport.
"From day one I've always gone and walked the track and tried to see where the best ground is," he recalls. "This was a day when I had my two boys there and my wife who'd been with me more or less from the start, and my parents, my agent, everyone who'd been with me for so long. Also, don't forget, my last ride was for Richard Fahey which was pretty special. It was walking the track that really started me off and realising this would be for the last time. It was very emotional. I had to apologise to everyone I spoke to because I ended up having everyone in tears. There were just so many emotions going on."
Significantly, though, they did not include a scintilla of regret. He knew his time had come. There would be no coming back for the classic-winning, two-time champion who for five years was first jockey to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.
"I can guarantee it was the right time," he reflects. "For many sportsmen, it can be very difficult to say when the time is right. But I kind of knew deep down it was the right decision.
That final ride at the Knavesmire, a course on which he had recorded a remarkable 95 winners, had been on Fahey's Wootton'Sun, a son, coincidentally, of his first Group 1 victor Wootton Bassett nearly 13 years ago.
There was to be no perfect denouement, however. The pair were unplaced. Three weeks on from that day, he confesses with a self-deprecating laugh: "I felt very old getting on Wootton Bassett's son for that last ride! I felt my age, I can tell you."
Esta historia es de la edición October 2023 de Racing Ahead.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 2023 de Racing Ahead.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Tragedy Hits Racing Family - Nick Townsend reels from shock attack on John Hunt's wife and daughters
Nick Townsend reels from shock attack on John Hunt's wife and daughters. I will be far from alone in recent days in being overcome by emotions ranging from utter disbelief to revulsion upon hearing of the unspeakable acts perpetrated upon John Hunt's family, resulting in the death of his wife Carol and daughters, Hannah and Louise.
AUDIENCE IS ERUPTING
John Anthony reveals the latest top speedsters after another Glorious Goodwood
HORSE OF A LIFETIME
Graham Buddry pays fresh tribute to track legend Sea The Stars - surely one of the greatest ever
IT'S TIME TO TAKE STOCK
Paul Jacobs looks forward to seeing some big on-track questions answered
PLAYING TO THE WHISTLE
lan Heitman flies about to keep pace with a rush of two-year-old Flat action
WINNING JOY ON A BUDGET
Richard Eagle takes a trip to Windsor to check out peoples' route into the port of kings
GIFT HORSES AND FRENCH LESSONS
Robert Cooper finds 'retirement' is keeping him busy
FEUD GETS THE PARTY ROLLING
Karl Hedley savours the Galway Festival action and picks out the summer highlights at Ballybrit
ROCKING THE MONEY BAGS
Simon Nott reveals his recent experiences from trips to Brighton and Ascot
FLYING EVE'S BORN TO WIN
Nick Townsend talks to in-form trainer Eve Johnson Houghton