He gave me my whole racing education, I'll never forget that

The plan was for me to spend six months with David, but I ended up working for him for 15 years. I was 18 when I first went to Condicote, I'd barely been out of Scotland before - it was a bit of a shock to the system - but I soon adapted and my time with the Duke was a great experience.

Two things stick in the mind, two things that I've adhered to in my own career as a trainer. The first is the way horses and people are turned out. We were always expected to be very smart, and that went for the horses too, no shavings or straw on the tail, all immaculate, something to take pride in.

The other was his meticulous nature when it came to teaching horses to jump, which has been borne out by the number of successful juvenile hurdlers we've both had. He drummed into me that it was very important to teach them in the right manner, so that they enjoyed it and learned the proper technique at the same time. If the horse enjoys it then everyone else enjoys it, everyone benefits.