Nakayama Grand Jump, April
Cheltenham Festival, March
Professionally, going to Japan in April and winning the Nakayama Grand Jump with Blackstairmountain was very satisfying, especially since the prizemoney was fantastic. It's so different over there. For instance, at the races we were confined to the weighroom and the stable area and not allowed mix with the general public. It's just the way they do things. And it worked out brilliantly.
But on a personal level, the most memorable day was definitely my son Patrick winning the four-mile amateur chase at Cheltenham in March on Back In Focus.
Patrick is 23 now and, given his size, I’m amazed at the commitment he shows to manage his weight. It can’t be easy for him, watching his friends heading out to parties, and having to work so hard at staying light. I know people will say he has the horses to ride in bumpers, but I’ve seen plenty jockeys riding for big stables who might be a stone lighter than he is and they’ve ended up not being able to control their weight.
Even working so hard, his opportunities at Cheltenham are rare, so to win over fences there was a wonderful day, especially since I nearly ruined it.
Normally I leave things up to him, but I gave Patrick different instructions that day and coming down the hill to the third last fence I knew I’d got it wrong. I was sick at the idea that I might have cost him a Cheltenham winner over fences.
It really would have been heart-breaking if I had. Even the idea of it now makes me shiver. But somehow he and the horse pulled it out of the bag. That was very special, unforgettable really.
