COOLMORE'S love affair with Wootton Bassett and his progeny deepened again at Deauville on Sunday when M.V. Magnier, in partnership with Peter Brant, paid €2.3 million for a yearling colt by the sire.

Wootton Bassett himself had a modest pedigree and initially retired to stand in France at a fee of just €6,000, which quickly dropped to €4,000 before his first foals hit the racecourse. He proved to be a sensation at stud - European champion Almanzor was in his first crop - and his fee rose to €40,000 by 2020. It was then that Coolmore stepped in to buy him and his fee has continued to rise, reaching €300,000 this year.