There is something so special about that first win. It always signals the start of better things and inducts change and hope.

I know young Oisin Murphy must have felt positive emotions after prising out his first winner in the UAE aboard Momaris at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday. When he was led into the winner’s enclosure you could see the delight in his eyes, and the relief that he had finally gotten over with it after a rather uncomfortable wait.

I’ve seen that look before on many sportsmen who have had to endure frustrating spells and most recently demonstrated by Andy Murray when he won the Shenzhen Open in China two months ago. The victory saw the Scot end a dry spell that extended almost 15 months, and you could tell how much the win meant to him.

That’s the way the dice rolls. Some get lucky, others don’t. And it happens a lot it the world of sport, where luck plays an important part. It’s funny at times, but you can always do with a little luck to get by.

That first win also brings a degree of confidence into play and I’m pretty sure we’re going to see Oisin make more visits to the winner’s enclosure in the weeks to come. He is indeed committed to his craft and does what he does, well. Lester Piggott said he like what he saw in the young Irish rider and was general all praise for the state of horse racing in the UAE and around the world. I was fortunate to spend some time chatting with the genius of 11 British Championships and nine Epsom Derbies and, as always, found that he has something new to say about the sport that made him a household name in Britain not so long ago.

He was so popular that he was perhaps better know by his first name, than his last, which is quite extraordinary when you realise that people to usually refer to great people by the latter — Sampras (not Pete), Nicklaus (not Jack), Ali (not Muhammad). Lester was so famous that his first name was borrowed for an award given to jockeys at an annual ceremony in Great Britain.

Tony McCoy, the sensational jump jockey, who has won no less than 16 Lester’s between 1996 and 2012, is also better known by his surname.

But not Piggott. Even admirers who walked up to him seeking an autograph called him Lester on most occasions, which seems rather extraordinary. I was amused, and contemplative, because I like to see people using first names, it’s more friendly and warm.

Did I refer to Oisin by his first name or last?