The stepping stones to riches: how stayer of a lifetime Stradivarius won £1m

There can be few of us for whom a £1 million bonus would not represent a singular enticement were it to be dangled in our faces like an especially large and juicy carrot. Even for a wealthy man like Bjorn Nielsen, when a sum of money tips over into seven figures, the allure surely takes on a little extra gloss.

It's simple: if there's a million quid on the table as an incentive, it'd be rude not to, wouldn't it? Except that when there are racehorses involved, the economics of the situation start to take on a different complexion.

Nielsen may be an American hedge fund man with a few bob in his pocket, but he's been a racing man since long before his family moved to Epsom from South Africa during his schooldays, and as a successful breeder he has an ingrained instinct to place the level of prize-money some way below the best interests of his horses when their itineraries are being discussed.