If I were The King, I suspect I’d be feeling rather sick this morning.
And not just won it. He has done so emphatically, with a performance that will have sent shockwaves through the international racing world.
There is a very obvious question: what on earth might have been?
Let’s rewind a few months.
Point Of Law was bred by The King. He was a promising young stayer, had been seen at Royal Ascot and was considered good enough to attract enormous interest from Australia.
Ciaron Maher and his team were so desperate to secure him that negotiations reportedly lasted months. They even explored the possibility of allowing The King to retain a share in the horse.
But the deal was done. Point Of Law was sold, shipped to Australia and handed to a new ownership group.
Now he is a Melbourne Cup winner.
And I cannot help thinking about what might have happened had he remained in Britain.
As a three-year-old son of Frankel, with the staying ability he has now demonstrated, Point Of Law could have been a major contender for the St Leger. Indeed, he might well have started favourite.
Imagine the prospect of a horse bred by The King winning one of Britain’s Classic races before going on to develop into a leading international stayer.
Instead, that opportunity belongs to somebody else.
There is another reason why this sale feels particularly extraordinary.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was an immensely passionate racehorse owner and breeder. She understood bloodlines, followed her horses closely and took enormous pleasure in seeing them develop.
One wonders whether she would ever have allowed a horse of Point Of Law’s apparent potential to leave her ownership.
Of course, we will never know. The Queen made her own decisions, and The King is entitled to make his.
Perhaps the reported millions were simply too good to turn down. Perhaps there were considerations behind the sale that we will never know about.
But the timing makes it difficult not to question the decision.
The King has inherited his mother’s passion for racing, but he has now watched a horse bred under his ownership become one of the biggest names in Australian racing.
And the Melbourne Cup is not just another race. It is one of the most prestigious prizes in the sport, with a A$10 million purse and an enormous international audience.
Point Of Law has now delivered that prize for his new connections.
For them, it is a dream come true. For The King, it must be an extraordinary case of what might have been.
He bred him. He sold him. And now he’s a Melbourne Cup champion.
If I were The King, I’d be wondering whether the millions were really worth it.
