I’ve always thought that breeders are incredibly brave, if not extremely optimistic, and most likely both. Even if both their chosen mare and stallion ‘tick all the boxes’, the resulting foal may tick none – it’s a real gamble, no matter how many guidelines you follow.

Conformation, movement, pedigree and race record are the four pillars when choosing any horse, be it to breed from or race itself. Different people have different preferences and biases, some they’ve inherited from popular opinion or a mentor, others they may have learnt themselves from trial and error.