WE have been reminded so many times in the last few months of how owners are so important to the sport and how much we miss them when we don’t hear their stories on the racecourse. And when they are the ones who pay the bills, it’s their prerogative who trains their horse.

When a horse is moved from a small stable where he was the main star, it must be a huge loss for the trainer. But often we forget how it might affect those even closer to the horse, those who look after them.

This week one of the most touching stories to gain daylight was a piece from Australia on the lass or ‘strapper’ who looked after the top-class mare Sunlight, sold for A$4.2 million to a new career as a broodmare on Monday.

Sarah Rutten was captured in tears by a photographer as she parted company with the mare she had looked after through her racing career. Speaking afterwards she told Racenet: “I do wish more people would understand how strappers and stable staff absolutely love horses – Sunlight was my best friend. When she left it was early in the morning and I was a mess the whole day.”

So when we see horses moved from one stable to another, and especially from a smaller outfit, and get fixed on the whys and why nots, think for a while of the staff who looked after the horse.

I had a look thorugh the photos of the good times the Pat Kelly yard had with Presenting Percy, now being moved by his owner to Gordon Elliott.

In all those happy times and big wins, leading him, and other winners, around the ring and into winner’s enclosure was Kim Scott. Spare a thought for those who were at ‘their’ horses’ heads for the longest time.