'You work ten times harder to get it' - Crosse enjoying second coming at the Cheltenham Festival

Dave Crosse’s first Cheltenham Festival winner brought with it a false sense of security. Hot property back in 2001, he helped Nicky Henderson’s Kim Muir favourite The Bushkeeper to a straightforward victory. 

"I was champion amateur that year and I didn’t know what to ride," he says. "Marcus Foley, a good friend of mine, told me to ride him as he used to ride him out every day. When I went out, was I nervous? No, because I didn’t have a clue what the Cheltenham Festival was at that point.

"I had a great spin around and it was a great day, but you were riding again the next day, straight back to it. I was 19 when I rode that winner. You think it’s going to happen every year."