The late Aga Khan's relationship with Ireland was one of 65 years of mutual benefit

With the egregious exception of the appalling kidnap and premature death of Shergar, the late Aga Khan IV enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with Ireland from the moment he inherited the bloodstock assets of his father Prince Aly Khan in 1960.

During the first three decades of this enduring association he oversaw the reshaping of an inheritance that included six Irish stud farms. Through a series of judicious sales and carefully charted restructuring and acquisitions he consolidated his considerable land holdings.

By 1990, a pivotal year in which the fallout from Aliysa's 1989 Oaks disqualification precipitated his withdrawal from British racing, the infrastructure was in place for Irish trainers to become integral to a dual-country strategy, running in tandem with the Aga's French-based interests.