WHAT a sad piece of news to emerge from Co Carlow on Wednesday, when it was revealed that the leading National Hunt sire Jukebox Jury had died, the result of complications following colic. He was 19, and his demise comes on the back of an outstanding National Hunt season which had seen him sire three Grade 1 winners.

Jukebox Jury’s percentage of blacktype horses to runners shows that quality always trumps quantity, and many of his big race winners came from crops much smaller than those of recent years. His stock was always in demand at the sales, and at the most recent store sales, many buyers cited his ability to sire quality as a key attraction.