NOT ONE OF FERGIES BEST DECISIONS

Remember the Rock of Gibraltar saga?

To cut a long story short, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that he owned half of the colt's breeding rights. Reclusive Irish bloodstock tycoon John Magnier disagreed.

In an attempt to close the matter, Magnier offered Ferguson four stud nominations a year for the rest of the horse's life, but he turned that down, settling instead for £2.5 million in cash. It was not, with the benefit of hindsight, the best of decisions.

A few days ago, the Rock's first foal, I hear, went under the hammer in Ireland and fetched £280,000. Multiply by four and Ferguson would have been looking at £1.12 million a year for the next decade or more.

Martin Hannan, author of Rock of Gibraltar: "Sir Alex has probably kissed goodbye to about £15-20 million. He's given up the equivalent of four lottery tickets with five matching numbers every year."