'We were pure novices' - the County Cork farmers behind a leading Gold Cup hope

Racing does not have a shortage of those dispensing one type of bovine emission to others and the Dillon family’s comprehensive knowledge of cattle seems to be serving them well as they navigate the choppy waters of a different breeding industry.

Kevin Dillon, head of the Clonakilty-based farming clan, is a former chief executive of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association and a producer of prize-winning specimens, while his son Terry advises on artificial insemination and how to improve the quality of herds.

It was that line of business which would regularly take Terry across County Cork to Frank Motherway’s Yellowford Farm, a frequent supplier of smart National Hunt horses, and led to the purchase of Saucy Present, dam of the Irish Gold Cup winner Conflated.