IT often amazes me, and others, that the National Hunt market is even more selective with stallions than their flat counterparts, despite the wide spread of stallions siring top-class horses on the track.

For the increasingly expensive form horses, sires seem to become far less relevant, but it’s an entirely different story at the foal and store sales, much to the frustration of breeders. Last week, 20 stallions sired a winner and, 12 months earlier, it was even more varied, with 26 stallions on the board.