This horse works better than Ballyburn - but, as we all know, work doesn't win races

It’s 1pm on the Monday of Cheltenham. We’ve finished riding out and we’re walking the horses at 2pm. I’m sitting at the kitchen table looking at Tuesday’s races. I’ve had to put jam in my porridge because I forgot to get honey. A bad start to the week.

Brian Hayes is shouting in from the living room that the house we’ve rented this year is too cold. Rachael Blackmore, rummaging in the fridge, replies that he’s more than welcome to find a different house next year so. Amazing how women can say so much in so little.

I sip my mug of tea. I kinda like the house. Great selection of books in the bookcase (Pullman’s His Dark Materials catches my eye), they have a chest of board games and an X Box with Crash Bandicoot too. Mightn’t suit Harry Cobden, but it’ll do me just fine.