David Easterby: 'I wanted to be a jockey but couldn't walk past the cake tin'

How has it been for you as a joint licence-holding trainer rather than assistant to your dad Mick?
It seems like an eternity now, but in reality nothing much has changed except the names on the licence. Things have carried on much the same as before and we're still doing just fine.

What's been your finest hour as a trainer?
Taking advantage of the watering system at Pontefract to have two winners on one afternoon, with Bavardages and Late Arrival. Bavardages went wide at the last bend under Serena Brotherton, then there was the painful wait to see if any other jockeys did the same thing between the six pole and the two, before our second bite of the cherry, when Joanna Mason on Late Arrival stayed wide all the way, making full use of the better ground up the outside rail, both winning by five lengths. It was a plan we thought a lot about and it worked perfectly.

What has been your biggest challenge of the last 12 months?
Staffing. We've had a large turnover, but thankfully we've now got a team of people who are happy together.