“EMOTIONALLY, it is a horrible loss but intellectually it is the right thing to do,” Lee Kruger said of the sale of her Irish-bred MHS Going Global this week.

“There was a very strong commitment to keep him until after the Olympics but there comes a stage when you just have to take a realistic look at it. He is a gelding and you have to give your head a shake. I would prefer that this fairytale story has a fairytale ending.”

“When I think of what happened to poor Clem [McMahon] when Pacino died…we have had a great time and now we have the money to carry on and get a few more horses,” she added. “We have had the fairytale – the perfect horse, brought along perfectly and did his job perfectly.”

“I’m not in this game as a horse owner, I’m in it as a horse lover. Junior gave me the satisfaction of owning him and he put Greg on the world stage, which is where he belongs. I hope our fairytale might encourage other people who have that quality of horse to leave them with people in Ireland. People are awful quick to send horses elsewhere but I love everything about the Irish upbringing and the age classes.”

“I think getting the opportunity to go to the Olympics and then his performances at Spruce Meadows and Barcelona were just amazing. We’ve had highlights all along the way.”

Referring to the Olympics, Kruger remarked: “They got into trouble in the same double as an awful lot of top riders. You’ve got to remember what they did for their age and level of experience. I was thrilled, as proud as I could be of them!”

She dismissed the notion of replacing Going Global as “foolishness.”

“I don’t think you can replace him but I would like to buy a few promising five to eight-year-olds and hopefully get something out of that mix. We hope for a degree of success but I love them all.”

The close bond between Junior and his groom Ashleigh Skillen was acknowledged by Kruger. “Oh boy, that was hard! Ashleigh loves him like a child. I gave her a big hug and said ‘I know you hate me right now but I hope that in time to come you will see that this was not the wrong thing to do’.”

Referring to Athina Onassis, Kruger said: “I had said I would only sell to a very good home and a very nice person. I met her and she is a lovely person. We wish them well and trust that it will all work out.”