The year was 2018, and Henry de Bromhead was talking to somebody with form in sacking jockeys about the need to appoint one. Michael O’Leary, who claimed once on The Late Late Show that the customer was “nearly always wrong”, brought rare ruthlessness to racing. A no-frills man of a no-frills airline, he nevertheless needed a release, be that horses or cattle or ranting. He knew horses amounted to a hobby that would cost him a relative pittance but also a relative fortune. He wanted to win races and lose less money, preferably; indeed, he memorably parted ways with Willie…

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