WHEN a young Kim Bailey went to the Doncaster Sales in 1986, he refused even to look at the chestnut point-to-point winner Mr Frisk, of whom the form book wrote ‘should improve in time’.

“He was by a horse called Bivouac and they’re all nuts,” Kim said baldly. His then wife Tracey, herself a competent horsewoman, liked the horse and when he came into the ring kept nudging Kim until eventually he bid for, and bought him, for 15,500 guineas. Within days, people were ringing up to say, ‘Whatever else, get rid of the horse.’