LEADING Light stands at Dunraven Stud, and sired the Grade 1 Aintree winner Three Stripe Life. Until last year the farm also stood Ask (Sadler’s Wells), but he has moved to Kelsall in Cheshire this year to stand at Stuart Ross’ Willow Wood Stud.

Not too far from Aintree, the team at Willow Wood will have been cheering home the Grade 2 Weatherbys Bumper winner Lookaway, a breakthrough blacktype winner for Ask. If ever a sire deserved such a winner, it is the Group 1 Coronation Cup and Group 1 Prix Royal Oak winner. Before this seven horses from Ask’s first two crops had been runners-up in graded or listed races under National Hunt rules.