Sourcing Shishkin: the priceless chaser once bought for €28,000

You would not be able to put a price on the head of Shishkin the finished product, particularly given that his owners Joe and Marie Donnelly could surely shed a piece or two from their world-renowned art collection should finance ever become an issue.

The seven-year-old with the classic looks that would surely have taken Leonardo da Vinci’s eye became British National Hunt racing's lodestar last March as a rare high point for the home team at Cheltenham. Although still to be seen this campaign, he remains undefeated in five starts over fences and only once, in a clumsy fall on his debut for Nicky Henderson, in ten starts under rules.

So it is all the more surprising to look back to the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in the summer of 2017 and find that a party of three unearthed him for only €28,000.