It's never ever going to be the right time to say goodbye to anybody, especially when their life has been cut short so suddenly and so cruelly when they still had unlimited potential and so many hopes, dreams and aspirations to realise. Hopes, dreams and aspirations that sadly had been recently masked mentally by life's muddy waters, personal issues that had taken over the mindset. This is a sign of the times that we are now living in, the constant worry for many of us of being liked and of actually being accepted. Social media interaction has contributed greatly to low self-esteem issues in people of all ages. Michael absolutely adored his horses. He was so very proud to have looked after two of the very best Group 1 winning thoroughbreds. They were his babies. I remember that he used to gently whistle to them around the paddock, a calming, soothing whistle with his lips tightly pursed that would totally relax them. Even though they were sometimes in unfamiliar places with s

In life we are always attracted to big personalities, whether we know them personally or just appreciate and enjoy them from afar. With horse racing, particularly National Hunt racing (as the horses remain in training for so much longer), we often feel that we develop a strong magnetic-like connection with these personalities, a definitive competitor/spectator relationship that is unrivalled in any other sport. And there was no bigger personality on a racecourse than the brilliant, the loveable, the brave, equine superstar Un De Sceaux. Un De Sceaux was foaled in France in May 2008 and went on to win his only two races there before moving to Ireland. He ended his career having won 23 of his 34 races under rules winning over £1.5m in prize money, and he was retired in February this year when sustaining minor ligament damage when preparing for the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Un De Sceaux left Ireland for France at the end of April and Willie Mullins said, "Un De Sceaux is