“Everything is subject to contract”. “That’s life,” estate agent John Stokes told the High Court about an hour into his cross-examination. “Everyone wants to do a deal” and “put their best foot forward”, the witness elaborated. That, in his view, was what bloodstock tycoon John Magnier was doing in Coolmore on the evening of August 22, 2023 when he shook hands on a €15 million agreement to buy the 751-acre Barne Estate in Co Tipperary. “We’re selling land. We’re not selling a horse. You can do a deal, but at the end of the day, it is subject to the…

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