BRYAN Cooper seems to have been around a long time but one look at the cherubic face and you are reminded that he is only 23, giving the greater part of 15 years to the best of his contemporaries on both sides of the Irish Sea, Paul Townend excepted.

He has packed a remarkable amount into a very short period since riding Rossdara, trained by his father Tom, to record his first win on October 29th, 2009. Cliché merchants (Heaven forbid) might describe it as a rollercoaster, given the polar extremities of his fortunes.