Ireland has it all over jumps - and that won't change any time soon

On the Flat we have always been used to the richest stables dominating. The Coolmore team and Godolphin have always had access to the best stallions and the ability to buy the best-bred horses. Between them they have been responsible for nine of the last 11 Derby winners and it really shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s so hard for others to get a look in, especially with the dearth of owner-breeders these days.

That never used to be the case with the jumps, where the little man was supposed to have every chance of finding a Cheltenham winner.

Oh, how that has changed. Nowadays Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead and Gordon Elliott have a stranglehold on nearly all the best horses and most of the high-profile owners want to have their horses trained by one or all of them.