Seismic shift in owner landscape provides food for thought

The news this week of Gigginstown's fallout with Willie Mullins, and that a number of Ann and Alan Potts's horses were bound for Colin Tizzard's yard, raises an interesting question. If you were lucky enough to have a decent string of jumps horses, where should you locate them to maximise success?

Over the course of the last 30 years the geographic balance of power in jump racing has shifted more than once. In the days of the Dickinsons, Arthur Stephenson and Peter Easterby, the north was the powerhouse – but that dominance gradually transferred to Lambourn and the West Country with the emergence of Paul Nicholls and the continued success of Nicky Henderson and Philip Hobbs.

In recent seasons there is little doubt, however, that Ireland has held the upper hand. With Willie Mullins churning out 200 winners a season, backed up by the rapid progress of Gordon Elliott, the Irish position has never been stronger.