'Maybe next year' - did Sir Gordon feel the way I do about my holy grail?
It's 2006. I'm 16 years old. Warrens Castle is favourite for the GPT, the 2m amateur riders' handicap on the opening day at Galway. I'd won just my second ever race on him the month before, on rattling fast ground around Leopardstown.
I'll never forget getting into the car to go to Galway, practically bubbling with excitement, and then watching the rain fall solidly for two of the three hours it took to get to the track, drowning my hopes. Warrens Castle drifted like a barge and ran like one, finishing stone last. Maybe next year, I thought.
Fast-forward 15 years (yikes!) and I've managed to get a Royal Ascot winner (Lagostovegas), a Cheltenham Festival winner (Limini) and Grade 1 winner (Sharjah) beaten in the same race. Last year the marathon contest was won by subsequent Group 1 heroine Princess Zoe and I haven't yet had a chance on her, in my defence.
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