Billy Loughnane became the youngest rider in over a century to be crowned Britain's champion jockey when he collected his trophy at Ascot on Saturday.
Aged 20, the Irishman beat the five-time champion Oisin Murphy to the title, becoming its youngest holder since Charlie Elliott in 1923. He was given a guard of honour as he made his way to the parade ring for the presentation.
Four years after his racing debut, Loughnane won his first Classic in May, the 2,000 Guineas, and rode to four further Group One victories among more than 220 wins this year, BBC Sport reported.
"I love my job and I love riding horses - it's all I ever wanted to do," said Loughnane, who is nicknamed Billy the Kid.
"Nearly four years ago when I was going up to Newcastle for my first ride, my aim then was just to have a few winners really," he said. "If anyone had said that day that four years later I'd be where I am now I'd have said they were absolutely crazy."
He is now eyeing Sir Gordon Richards' 1947 record on the Flat of 269 winners in a calendar year, and is "not squashing the idea of going for the championship again" in 2027.
Murphy, who went toe-to-toe with Loughnane for a while before the latter strolled to the title, paid tribute to his young opponent. "He's got tremendous discipline and work ethic and his results have been outstanding," he said. "I get on very well with him and I'm delighted to see his success, he's just younger and better looking!"
It was a memorable afternoon at Ascot for other riders too. The British-Norwegian jockey William Buick won the Champion Stakes on Ombudsman and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Talk of New York, before completing a 206-1 treble by riding Fifth Column to victory in the Balmoral Handicap.
Two records are now in play, and they run in opposite directions. The 269 winners of 1947 can be attacked every season for as long as a rider cares to go on. The youngest-champion record cannot be attacked at all. It was set on Saturday, and every subsequent year of Loughnane's career makes his own entry in it worse.
This is the only statistic in racing that deteriorates with success. A rider who takes the title again in 2027 will be champion jockey at 21, which is a less remarkable version of the thing he has just done. A third would be less remarkable still, and so on until the achievement is simply a good career.
Charlie Elliott's method of holding the record for 103 years is instructive here. He won it young, and then, with complete discipline, never became younger.
The Department of Unnecessary Research has considered whether the mark can be improved from the inside and reports that it cannot. Riding more winners does not help. Riding better horses does not help. Winning the championship repeatedly actively hinders. The only route to a younger champion jockey is a younger jockey, and that is somebody else's project.
On the 1947 record there is at least work available. More than 220 winners this year against Sir Gordon Richards' 269 is a gap of the kind that rewards getting up early, and it is the only one of Loughnane's two targets that a jockey can affect by riding.
The guard of honour at Ascot was therefore well timed. This was the last season in which being the youngest champion jockey and being the champion jockey were the same achievement.