IT was the children wot done it!

Now we can see there was a sign of things to come – that early February Saturday when the Leopardstown stands erupted to cheer Apple’s Jade up the straight in the BHP Irish Champion Hurdle. Her owner, oft seen watching in the depths of winter racing, was not among the cheering crowd. Michael O’Leary then revealed on the Sunday of the DRF that he had been in the Aviva Stadium with his children, cheering on the Irish rugby team in their defeat against England.

The children dictated the adult’s direction then and they have also dictated this week’s announcement of his impending withdrawal from racing.

For all that we were lucky to see such great and popular horses as War Of Attrition, Don Cossack and Tiger Roll in the maroon and white stars, it was easy to feel that there was never quite the appreciation of the scale of the investment and of how many benefitted from O’Leary’s enjoyment of racing. The news was greeted with mixed emotions – as many expressed little disappointment, ignoring those who might actually have plenty to lose.

Despite investing up to €4 million a year in purchases and another estimated €4 million in training fees, Gigginstown was often blamed for many of the ills in Irish racing, blamed for squeezing the small man out, even for a drop in racecourse attendances as one ‘big’ owner harvested too many of the graded races to engage the public.

All those double figure representation in the big handicaps were actually turning people off having a horse in training. Looking from a business angle, a cut back makes huge sense. Something had to give from having 226 horses running under NH rules, in 2018-’19. But it will not be an easily filled vacuum.

When a major investor leaves an industry it’s often better to look from the bottom up. In securing nearly €3.9 million in domestic prize money last season, Gigginstown House topped the owners’ championship in Ireland for a fifth time in succession and a seventh in all.

But you can look back at last season and see that there were almost 50 horses at some stage in the year carried Gigginstown colours, all of those earned less than €10,000. Yet a jockey was paid to ride them, a stable lad looked after them.

Then there are the pre-training costs, Gigginstown are big employers. The money available to buy a horse like Samcro will be reduced, as are the likely profits for point-to-point producers with another big spender Alan Potts also gone.

The sales scene could take the first hit. This time last year, the inaugural Arqana Auteuil Sale was topped by Vision D’Honneur, bought by Mags O’Toole for €350,000.

We are still in the era of every other point-to-point winner ending with the quote “he/she will go to the sales now.” There is €100,000 potentially shaved off a top priced lot. Gigginstown’s motto was always to buy potential Grade 1 horses. “It’s about having winners at Cheltenham,” Michael told Nick Luck at Leopardstown.

The Elliott yard is an obvious sufferer. Gordon Elliott has been increasingly reliant on Gigginstown for Grade 1 winners – the Laibak’s and Fayonagh were rare one offs. New players at that level include Cheveley Park Stud, who also patronise the Mullins yard. Winners are good, but it’s the big money winners that make it worthwhile. It affects jockeys like Davy Russell and Jack Kennedy. Rachael Blackmore’s tally would be less without Gigginstown last season.

We are used to seeing the best horses staying in Ireland and going to Cheltenham to bring home record numbers of wins. But many British yards are stronger now than they were two years ago and well-funded by some big British owners.

The two top lots in the Cheltenham Festival Sale went to British stables. Two of the top four in Punchestown are also headed across channel. The goal for an owner of a jumper is still to get a horse good enough to compete in Cheltenham, our competition is likely to get stiffer. Looking back to when it began for Gigginstown, and when War Of Attrition won the Gold Cup for them in 2006, there were 10 Irish-trained winners at Cheltenham, all for different owners and trainers.

Brave Inca, Nicanor, Kadoun, War Of Attrition, Whyso Mayo, Newmill, Hairy Molly, Sky’s The Limit, Native Jack and Dun Doire being the other nine. Many of those were from owners with just a few horses.

Would we see that again in a few years? Are there enough owners to spread out to make up for the loss? You would not be confident.