Not all the Ballydoyle bluebloods end up on the big stage. One that failed to pass muster turned out at Lingfield yesterday, where an eclectic mix of horses gathered for the routine business of keeping tills ringing in high-street betting shops.

It was not the destination envisaged for Coach And Horses. The colt is a full brother to One Cool Cat, Ballydoyle's juvenile champion of 2003 and a $3.1 million yearling purchase. Quickly ostracised from O'Brien's stable after two juvenile runs, Coach And Horses ran unplaced for the third time in as many starts since joining Simon Callaghan in Newmarket.

Mind you, connections of Plavius can hardly have dreamt of Lingfield when they gave $9.2 million for him as a yearling. Plavius turned out in a three-year-old maiden 30 minutes before Coach And Horses, and duly bankrolled the runner-up's purse of £806.

However, the antidote to these extreme cases of equine credit crunch came later in the afternoon. A cast-off from Khaled Abdulla's Juddmonte Farms, Vortex closed a remarkable career that has taken his connections on a global joyride. The son of Danehill could not add to his 17 victories but fourth place prize-money of £630 took his earnings past £334,000.

His place in the heart of his trainer, Gay Kelleway, is for life. “When I came back from Dubai, I'd only been going a year before I got him,” Kelleway said of Vortex's purchase for 18,000 guineas six years ago. “I don't have superstars but he has been like a superstar to us. He took us everywhere, including Royal Ascot four times, and we had some great parties on the way.”

For Kelleway, the task now is to try to fill the breach. “I could see that he'd had enough,” she said, “but I just cannot see how I will be able to replace him.” It will not be easy to find one good enough to contest group one races in California and Tokyo or to win a race at the Dubai Carnival, as Vortex did last year.

Appropriately, Vortex signed off yesterday in the race named in memory of Kelleway's father, Paul, who excelled in winning important prizes with cheaply acquired horses. He would have approved of the way his daughter has campaigned Vortex.

That Vortex could finish only fourth of five yesterday was inconsequential. The race went to Master Of Arts, a winner five times from as many starts this season for Sir Mark Prescott. As is Prescott's wont, Master Of Arts started at a lowly level and has worked his way up. It takes all sorts to keep the show on the road.