Ted Walsh: 'I know I say things people disagree with and I know I say things off the cuff - but I don't say too much wrong'

So then, Ted, what does it feel like to be a national treasure?

“National treasure?! I don’t know about national treasure but people come up to me and say, 'I enjoy you on the box and the best of luck in upcoming races'. There is a lot of goodwill. I know I say things that people disagree with and I know I say things off the cuff but I don’t say too much wrong.”

Ted Walsh turned 73 on Friday and if you seek a man who’s slowing down then you’ll need to look elsewhere. If anything, he might still be accelerating and the next stop on his journey is Aintree and a third crack at Grand National treasure with JP McManus’s durable 11-year-old Any Second Now. Unlike his trainer, the gelding's preparation has been far from off the cuff.