IT was an opportune time to schedule an interview with Kirsten Rausing. Planned for some weeks, it was sheer coincidence that the meeting with her at the Goffs Orby Sale should occur on the day that news of Sea The Moon’s retirement to stand at Lanwades Stud hit the press.

One of the most talked about members of the three-year-old generation, Sea The Moon, with usual luck, should have been one of the main contenders for this weekend’s racing highlight, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Instead, he is facing the future as one of the most exciting stallion prospects for the 2015 covering season. His acquisition for Lanwades has been a long and tough, though ultimately satisfying, process lasting about a year. What was the initial attraction to him?