Which of the four days of the Festival is your favorite and why?

Gold Cup day. It just seems to have a different atmosphere about it and is, after all, the race we all talk about throughout the season

Tell us about your best Cheltenham experience (Festival or any other meeting).

It was not actually at the Festival but probably when I was 17 or 18 and had just started working for Doncaster Bloodstock Sales, as it was then known.

We were at the December meeting for our National Hunt Breeze Up Sale and my father happened to come across from France for the meeting.

He spotted an ex-French-trained horse in the cross country race having it’s first run for Ferdy Murphy called Ivoire De Beaulieu, and he knew he was massively overpriced (33/1), given his French form.

DBS had a small box at the track which was jammed with people. Rather than inform them about that evening’s sale, I ended up telling everyone to get on the ‘good thing’ and as the horse jumped the last in front the noise in the box indicated that most people seemed to have got on. A Cheltenham roar of a different kind!

If you could own one horse running at this year’s meeting who would it be and why?

It would have to be Honeysuckle. What she is doing on the track is brilliant to see. She’s already owned by a fellow Scot, so the celebratory drink would remain one of three choices – whiskey, Tennents beer or Irn Bru!

If you could make one change to the meeting what would it be?

A few years ago, I would have mentioned some facilities here but the recent changes made are superb and have enhanced the space and overall experience, I feel, so fair play for that.

It’s been up for discussion and I would be in favour of extending the meeting to five days. The Festival has grown massively and there can’t be any doubt that there is a strong appetite for more without distilling the quality.

Assuming you cannot attend this year, what will your daily Cheltenham routine be?

Out to the farm in the morning to feed the empire which currently consists of a chesnut mare and small fat pony!

Assuming the Goffs UK office will still be closed due to Covid-19, it will be back home to make two phone calls to run through bets. One call to my father who will end up going for mainly French horses, I’d guess, and a call to Harry Beeby.

Although Harry is now retired, he loves following all racing, especially the festivals. For years now he and I speak each morning of Cheltenham to go through the runners. Harry was definitely on the aforementioned cross-country gamble, so perhaps that was the catalyst!

After that it will be all eyes on the television and a betting app. I just hope we don’t have any Zoom meetings over those four afternoons!

If you had one wish, a clean sweep of the Grade 1s at Cheltenham for Goffs graduates, or Newcastle United to win the Premiership, what would it be?

Either one would require two weeks off to celebrate. One of those scenarios is infinitely more achievable than the other currently, so a wish is about all I can hope for with Newcastle!

I’d usually go to a few games each season and the current ban on attendance has probably been a blessing for many a Toon fan!?