'He'll make a high-class novice chaser - he could go back to Cheltenham'

The great Alan Rickman was given one of the most memorable lines in modern cinema in his role as Hans Gruber in Die Hard: "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer."

By the age of 30, Alexander The Great had conquered much of the known world. Joseph O'Brien, who will reach that milestone next May, has done similar in racing, leaving a massive imprint on the sport through his brief but glorious riding career followed by a seamless transition to training.

The analogy with the imperious Alexander crumbles in conversation with the mild-mannered O'Brien, yet the young trainer exudes a sense of purpose that suggests he will always have a hunger for conquest, even when discussing a jumps team that has been significantly curtailed.