But we shouldn't make statements like this without facts to back them up. Let's look at the 2003 season alone to measure the success of Irish horses. In this year, Irish bred horses won no less than 151 group one races in 8 different countries. These included the great Dalakhani (winner of French Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe), High Chaparral (winner of Breeders Cup) and the John Oxx Trained Alamshar (Winner of Irish Derby and King Gerorge VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes). If you think this success may have been 'one off', don't forget Rock of Gibralter who completed his seven consecutive Group 1 victories the previous season.

In the Far East, our horses have always performed particularly well at the higher classes. Just look at some of the great Hong Kong champions over the past few years and you will remember names such as Quicken Away and of course, later, the great Indigenous. More recently Irish horses River Dancer and Bowman's Crossing have hit the headlines in Hong Kong for all the right reasons.