'Is the horse claustrophobic, nervous or just taking the mickey? That's what we're finding out - and then helping with'

The morning is going well. Craig Witheford, the man entrusted by many of Britain's trainers with preparing their horses for a trouble-free career at the stalls, has already loaded a couple of potential delinquents without incident, but next up I've been promised a challenging colt who is likely to test his skill and patience.

The beast in question has recently arrived in Newmarket after an abortive career in France, during which he proved rather too troublesome for a country where the regulations are rather less forgiving than our own.

The handsome bay makes his way across to the Bury Side starting stalls, carrying the weight of a bad reputation, but Witheford and his right-hand man, the former jumps conditional Jake Launchbury, have already seen what he's about and they're predictably unperturbed, although I'm rather hoping for a few fireworks – from a professional point of view at least.