Henry Daly: 'It was a nightmare - if you got yourself worked up you'd go nuts'

It is a thermal underwear kind of morning in South Shropshire, but even with the mercury struggling to pass zero it is impossible not to feel a warm glow watching the sun emerge from the stunning silhouette of the Clee Hills.

The staff at Henry Daly's Downtown Hall yard, many of whom are long-standing but certainly not long-suffering, struggle to recall a time when their boss raised his voice in anger, and it is easy to understand his well-balanced demeanour considering this stunning vista greets him every morning from the summit of his own gallops.

It is not only the view on the horizon putting a smile on Daly's face at the moment. Closer to home, he has a team of 40 horses with a real depth to it. Youngsters like Hillcrest, Lime Drop, Supreme Gift, Lounge Lizzard, Minniemum and Rockinastorm promise plenty for the future and this is undoubtedly an exciting time, even if the 55-year-old is phlegmatic about it all.