I AM a devoted fan of many stallions, as only a man with no mare himself can be, but I do have a particular fondness for a sire who stands just a few fields away from where I live.

What a year 2023 is proving to be for Derrinstown Stud’s Awtaad (2023 fee €5,000), and this year he has made the breakthrough at the highest level not once, but twice.