'If we'd kept Shishkin he'd probably be pointing' - breeder Clive Bennett

Point-to-point owner and breeder Clive Bennett finds it hard to part with horses, but when his late wife Eileen said they were overstocked he agreed to sell the next foal that arrived.

Fellow breeders will wince and know what happened next. Although the colt in question went to market and made a handsome €40,000, Bennett was unwittingly parting with a masterpiece – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner and outstanding chasing prospect Shishkin.

From his home on the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire border he says of that loss: “I’m not that bothered because I would never have done what Nicky Henderson has with the horse. If we had kept him he would probably be point-to-pointing.”