JP McManus

JP, Limerick's favourite son, started out as an on-course bookmaker before stepping up a notch to operate as a currency dealer on the global stage.

A tax exile living in Geneva, McManus has a large string of horses trained in England, Ireland and France.

He bought the famous Jackdaws Castle in 2001 and installed Jonjo O'Neil as trainer.

McManus is best known for his triple Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq.

He is always guaranteed to be well represented at Cheltenham and has many a time hit the bookies there for six with some huge gambles, which have earned him the nickname "the Sundance Kid".

Sir Robert Ogden

He had to settle for second place last season but had been champion owner in the three preceding seasons.

A leading northern industrialist, Ogden was given a CBE in 1983 and knighted in 2001 for his services to charity.

His horses are pretty evenly spread among a few trainers, including Nicky Henderson, Paul Nicholls, Venetia Williams and Martin Todhunter.

A down-to-earth Yorkshireman, Ogden shuns the limelight, letting racing manager Barry Simpson do his on-track talking.

David Johnson

His 30 or so horses provide the backbone of Martin Pipe's yard and last season saw an owner-trainer-jockey championship treble for the Pond House Stables.

The son of an East End docker, he now runs a finance company.

He first dabbled in owning Flat horses - including Mister Majestic, who won the Group One Middle Park Stakes in 1986.

But he teamed up with Pipe in the early 1990s and has landed many winners - and big gambles - since then.

Jim Lewis

Lewis came fourth in the owners' championship last season, despite having just four horses compared to the top three's 30+ each.

But among those four were Gold Cup winner Best Mate and former Champion Chase hero Edredon Bleu.

No wonder his nickname is 'Lucky Jim.'

Yet few would begrudge him any luck for the chirpy Brummie is one of the nicest men in the business, who wears his love of National Hunt on his sleeve.

His second passion is football and his colours are based on an Aston Villa FA Cup-winning side.

His partnership with trainer Henrietta Knight came about after he read an article about her in a magazine and wrote a letter asking her to train one of his horses.

Trevor Hemmings

Hemmings began his working life as a bricklayer but now has a vast empire spanning a range of leisure pursuits from casinos to holiday camps.

One of his companies also owns Blackpool Tower, although Hemmings lives in the Channel Islands.

Like most National Hunt owners, Hemmings would love to win the Grand National and in Beau, has one of the early favourites in the betting for 2003.

Last season's race was tinged with tragedy for him, however, as The Last Fling was killed in the Aintree marathon.