Horse racing is not referred to as the Sport of Kings for nothing. So far this flat turf season, three of the Classics run either side of the Irish Sea have been won by horses owned by members of the aristocracy.

However, owning a racehorse is now more popular with the general public than ever before. Increasingly, horse lovers from all walks of life are getting involved in what wags lovingly describe as 'buying shares in the optimism business', and far from needing to own half of Dorset, budding Sheikh Mohammeds can enter the world of racehorse ownership at varying levels to suit all pockets.