'I took the plunge' - meet the bloodstock industry pro who founded his own stud

Succession is a fascinating concept mined for drama for centuries, whether it is Lear's desperate and doomed attempts to elicit declarations of love from his daughters or the horribly compelling machinations of the Roy family as they vie for control of a global media empire.

For breeders, and in particular stallion owners and farm managers, succession planning for the demise of a successful sire is far removed from the turbulence of those dramatic examples. Good stallions will usually have several sons at stud, although maybe not resident at the farm where their father made his reputation, an issue for the stallion masters but not for breeders.

However, when it comes to National Hunt sires, planning for the eventual loss of a luminary is much more problematic as the overwhelming majority of their sons lack some equipment essential for the role and breeders are usually unable to access those bloodlines once the stallion is dead.