Kodiac and connections ready for lucrative giant-killing mission in Vase

From the south-west to the Far East. Danehill Kodiac was bought by Bristolian racecourse bookmaker Andy Smith to win a novice handicap hurdle yet on Sunday he will race against the likes of Highland Reel in the Hong Kong Vase, worth HK$18 million (£1.72m).

Totemic Flat racing figures like the Coolmore partners and Sheikh Mohammed will be among those with runners in the prestigious contest, so how did Smith, and five other self-professed National Hunt diehards, come to own a contender running for the big bucks at the Sha Tin spectacular?

The answer has a lot to do with Lil Rockerfeller, the hard-as-nails Stayers' Hurdle runner-up who has captured the hearts of many racing fans with his never-say-die attitude.