'When things weren't going well Mubtaker was always there for us'

Mubtaker was a wonderful horse. He was the sort of horse who always rose to the biggest occasions and he reached his ultimate peak in 2003 when finishing second to Dalakhani in the Arc with the likes of High Chaparral and Doyen behind him.

When things weren’t going so well, as they sometimes do in racing, he was always there for us. We had the likes of Ekraar, High Accolade and Nayef here at the same time too so it was pretty special, but Mubtaker was my favourite.

He was so consistent and always tried his best and won a Group race most seasons. Then of course there was the Arc and it felt almost like we’d run the race that day. I think he was quite shocked when Dalakhani passed him as he was so far in front. It was a stunning performance and while it’d have been better to have won it was still such a great thing.