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It's a huge triumph for the Goldsmith family, but sadly one that brings them little comfort.

Green Moon, the winner of this week’s Melbourne Cup — the horse race that brings Australia to a halt every year on the first Tuesday in November — was bred and owned by Lady Annabel Goldsmith and her son Ben, but unfortunately sold to an Australian a year ago for a paltry £50,000.

To make matters worse, the horse, trained by Harry Dunlop, was lovingly named by Ben Goldsmith’s four-year- old daughter Iris. But the family decided to part with the nag after it disappointed them by losing the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last year.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cambridge were at Flemington to give the prize to the winning owner but they had no idea that Green Moon was bred and trained at Lambourn by their friends the Goldsmiths.

“It’s all a bit annoying,” says Ben Goldsmith a little sheepishly when I ring to congratulate him.

“We all knew Green Moon was full of promise, but how could we tell that a horse we owned and bred would win one of the most prestigious races in the world?

“My mother is less than pleased. She’s kicking herself.”