Make 2017 the year of kippers, pink gin and port

Happy New Year.

It’s just possible you need a pick-me-up at this stage and I’d rather hoped that Pink Gin would be running somewhere. He went with Jim Old to Nigel Twiston-Davies’s place and ran quite well in a modest handicap hurdle the other day. I’m well aware you’re looking forward to Cheltenham and Aintree and Punchestown, but Pink Gin will do for me.

In 2004 I went to Cheltenham on New Year’s Day and Nigel won with Redemption. To be honest I thought it a bit late for that, about 40 years or so, but in he went at 3-1 favourite and I believe Nigel won the next race as well, so I felt pretty good for a few hours before the headache came back.