An iconic year for racing continues.

Many were miffed by Mikael Barzalona's celebrations before the line came in the Derby last Saturday, but I for one loved it.

Mikael Barzalona - a new master on the flat.

It COULD have all ended in tears, but it didn't thank goodness, and the 2011 Epsom Derby is a race we will all remember deep into the future.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup proved that Long Run was the new kid on the block as he left old time heros Kauto Star and Denman behind him and this years Derby has proved that Mikael Barzalona is most definitely the new master jockey on the flat.
I find the image of Pour Moi crossing the line one of the most iconic images of flat racing I have seen for years. It's miles ahead of the dreary view that race win celebrations are unprofessional and frowned upon by old time trainers and old time racing folk. The pure passion in his celebrations fed straight through to my heart and I hadn't even backed Por Moi! It was the same elation you could see when Tony McCoy won the Grand National on Don't Push it. Purely Iconic.

Pure elation from the Frenchman.

Elation like this is a fantastic promotion for our sport, and misery guts have been waffling on about it way too much. It made it a more exciting, heart stopping race, which is what we need on one of the biggest days in UK racing. I'm of course not encouraging before line celebrations in the future, especially celebrations that pull on a horses mouth like Barzalona's, but we should think back fondly on what was a dramatic and emotional Derby.

Plus, he looked totally rad!

Totally rad.