MOST aspects of racing divide opinions, be it the strength of form, the abilities of a particular jockey, or the appeal of a certain stallion. One indisputable fact is that Patrick Cooper has never been one to sit on the fence, whether it be on his self-confessed ‘crusade on the Irish Derby’, or having the confidence to buy a horse for what some may perceive as a too-good-to-be-true price.

Indeed, when asked what career he might have pursued if he hadn’t become a bloodstock agent, he wryly replies, “The thought of arguing that black is white has always appealed, so I’d quite like to be a barrister.”