How a bargain buy and his 'lunatic' owner embarked on an extraordinary journey

The story of Hunt Ball is a turbulent one. In essence, it's the tale of a cheap horse who improved a pretty astonishing 93lb on his journey from the bargain basement to the heights of the 2012 Cheltenham Festival and beyond. Along the way, however, it became a chronicle of punting excess, madcap moments, disciplinary action and, in its final chapter, an irreparable rift between the major players.

Perhaps most of all, it will be remembered for the antics of an owner who, in the course of his quest to put some of the fun back into racing, divided opinion, between those who loved the lunacy and those, including the horse's trainer, who found it wearing thin. What we should never forget, though, is that however good or bad it may have been, it could have been a whole lot worse (or better, depending on your point of view).

Unrepentant might be the best word to describe Anthony Knott, who followed up his stunt of riding into the Wincanton winner's enclosure in tandem with his jockey by turning out Hunt Ball for his run at the 2013 festival with the logo of bookmaker Paddy Power emblazoned on his (the horse's) backside. This, however, was not the original plan.