Relief as Gaillard Du Mesnil saves me from a proper bollocking - but I kinda wanted more

Sorry if this comes across rushed but the Racing Post needed it in by Monday lunchtime and we spent Friday night celebrating Brian Hayes’s first festival winner in Cheltenham, flew home Saturday morning to ride at Thurles before stopping off at Paul Townend’s party in Kilkenny and I had a play to do on Sunday night followed by riding out and racing Monday morning. So, this will be quick. (The play is a long story. There were no auditions and it was held in a hall not a theatre. A story for another time).

The week started badly with Facile Vega getting turned over in the Supreme. Marine Nationale was the better horse on the day to my eye, and what a ride from Michael O’Sullivan. Diverge and I managed to sneak into the race, steal some third-place prize-money and get back into the top enclosure.

Coming in after the race I was summoned to the stewards' room. I’d actually felt weird in the finish, worried about my stick technique and was wondering what I had done wrong. It turned out they wanted to caution Rachael Blackmore for lying in on my horse ever so slightly. Phew.