STATISTICS always come with a health warning, but sometimes a trend is so emphatic that you must believe that it reflects reality.

At the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale from 2010 to 2012 the average price for fillies was €15,550. Then it was announced that a new ITBA National Hunt Fillies Scheme was to be introduced, giving €5,000 pay-outs to fillies and mares when they won their maiden bumper, hurdle or chase, allowing for the possibility of a single mare collecting €15,000 in bonus payments for her owner.