The turf: Man with a system

It is not only the Arabs who have an intimate, almost mystical involvement with the horse. In Istanbul for the Topkapi Trophy, sitting beside the largest kebab I have ever seen (and, I kid you not, it was more than 12 feet long), I was reminded by my genial host Mehmet Kurt that the horse was special to the Ottomans, too. Their warriors, he insisted, were unbeatable. They never changed horses and their equine partners often saved their lives with their uncanny ability to anticipate and counter the enemy’s moves. There was perfect synchronisation of thought and movement between horse and warrior.

Mehmet Kurt’s own orange and white colours have twice been carried to victory in the Turkish Derby at Veliefendi and the prominent Istanbul owner, a construction and property millionaire, plans to have horses soon in Britain. Touring his stables some 50 minutes out of Turkey’s liveliest city there was plenty on which to feast the eye, notably nice two-year-olds by Montjeu, Rock of Gibraltar and Galileo.