The £80m stud dispute

Disputes over the ownership of racehorses are relatively common in the racing world, though disagreements over hugely valuable stallions like "the Rock" are very rare indeed.

Much will depend on whether Sir Alex Ferguson's stake in Rock Of Gibraltar was made on the basis of a verbal agreement centred around his racing career or whether a written contract was in place covering future stud earnings.

Either way, the stakes for the Manchester United boss make even David Beckham's £25 million transfer fee to Real Madrid pale by comparison.

Rock of Gibraltar earned £1.2m on the racecourse, but if he succeeds at stud his value could rocket to £80m.