IT is fair to say that the racing world was rocked when Michael O’Leary revealed to this paper that his Gigginstown House Stud operation would be phasing out their involvement with the sport over the next four of five years.

The loss of such a seismic player within the sport will be felt right across the industry, including within point-to-point racing where they have been big players within the four-year-old division for well over a decade.