Alice Haynes: 'Ever since I was a kid, I've been strong-minded, independent, opinionated - and I knew what I wanted'

I've asked around a bit about Alice Haynes. I've never met her, and although she doesn't strike me as an inveterate brutaliser of journalists, I want to know what I'm letting myself in for when I step through the doors of Cadland Cottage stables in Newmarket.

"Feisty" is a word that crops up quite a lot, although not in a bad way. More in a 'won't be messed about' way, which I guess isn't a bad asset to have in your bank when you're a female trainer on a male-dominated heath.

Normally, though, a feisty handler will play down their feistiness for the press. They're all pussycats, they'd have you believe. Except not this time.