'It's not about the money, I just love winning races' - meet the Classic-scoring owner spending big for the sheer fun of it all

It was in 2007 that Phil Cunningham first realised being a racehorse owner was easy. Cockney Rebel, the first horse he'd owned by himself, had already won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket when he arrived in the parade ring at the Curragh to contest the Irish version, with the great French pilot Olivier Peslier again in the plate, and his place at the head of the market reflected what looked like a straightforward opportunity for more Classic glory.

Cunningham was, nonetheless, a little on edge. Yes, he had one Guineas under his belt, but it wasn't as if he was blithely accustomed to Group 1 glory. So, while he wasn't in a muck sweat, he was apprehensive, until he felt a sudden thwack round the back of his legs and the peerless Peslier strolled past him, twirling his whip, and asked what the matter was.

"I said: 'I'm a bit nervous, actually, Olivier. We're 6-4 favourite today and it's a bit different from last time when we were 25-1.'