Henry de Bromhead has fostered something special - and not just on the track

It's not every day you go to the home of a training great and get the chance to take control of their horsepower, but that's exactly what happened to me last week when I paid my first visit to Henry de Bromhead's stable for a press event.

I have never sat on a thoroughbred in my life so you'll be relieved to know the horsepower was mechanical rather than equine, as I was asked by the stable's secretary to help transport the assembled media to the top of the gallops in her silver Hyundai.

Rather embarrassingly for me – and to the amusement of others – I couldn't start the damn thing, but once we'd finally gone from A to B the views were worth all the trouble.