'I don't have a drink after finishing second and say how great that was'

A great deal can change in 18 months, as is evident from the transformation of Warren Chase Stables.

To visit the set-up in August 2017 was to see a pair of old farm buildings surrounded by pasture. One housed 16 horses in very basic accommodation, the other was vacant pending a similar, hasty conversion. Foundations were being laid for a third barn that would raise the capacity to 50 boxes.

To return last week was to barely recognise the place. The two existing barns have been completely renovated and the third barn is up and running. So, too, are three more new barns and a horse-walker. There are now just over 100 boxes on site, all of them full.