GIGGINSTOWN House Stud stole the racing headlines this week when its owner Michael O’Leary removed 60 horses from the multiple champion trainer Willie Mullins in what was a disagreement over training fees. The rights and wrongs of the decision have been well aired and everyone has a view on the fallout.

An unforeseen consequence of the move is that it highlights what is an ongoing problem in racing, and something of an elephant in the room - the true cost of training a racehorse. When a trainer of the talent and calibre of Willie Mullins has not increased his fees for nearly a decade, and then loses a large chunk of his yard when he does, it has brought the subject into the public arena.