Tout Seul – he was the right horse at the right time

Picking just one favourite is not easy at all but Tout Seul was a very good horse who came along just when we needed it – and he was a real character too.

He was the first horse I bought with Dad [Fulke Johnson Houghton] – I just liked him even though he tried to kick me when I was looking him over – and when you buy a horse for practically peanuts [12,500gns] and it goes on to win a Group 1 then you don't tend to forget them. I bought another horse at the same sale – Repeat – and it never won a race for us, so it was all down to Tout Seul.

I broke him in, I rode him a lot at home, he dropped me most days and he could be a nightmare in the stalls, but he did so well for us at a time when Dad didn't have that many horses and we really needed a boost. He provided it for us.