Busy Mastercraftsman has plenty of talent to go to work with

Cast your mind back to the spring of 2014. David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband were the dominant figures in British politics; Brexit was an obscure term that, mentioned without context, would have been met with a puzzled look; and Intense Focus might have been considered an up-and-coming sire. It is only three years ago – yet somehow it all seems like a different world.

Looking back, no doubt, we could find hidden clues to the way things were going to unfold. And that could certainly prove true of the facts and figures from the 2014 breeding season, as a signpost to those stallions entitled to make a good showing with their two-year-old progeny during the approaching campaign.

The likes of Galileo, Dubawi and Invincible Spirit were all firmly established as outstanding sires by then, so it should be business as usual for them. But what of those who were still on an upward curve?