The announcement that Jamie Spence was to retire as a jockey to concentrate on an alternative role with Qatar Racing was greeted with an element of surprise by racegoers at the York Ebor festival but that news was accompanied by an even unlikelier event much later in the day. Taghrooda was long odds on favourite to retain her unbeaten record in the Yorkshire Oaks but when Tapestry overhauled her in the final furlong to win the race, it proved that the form guide is not the only yardstick for selecting horse racing winners.