HAPPY Christmas all!

The news that John Ferguson is to retire at the end of the season naturally came as a big shock and is a real blow.

It must have been a very, very difficult decision for John as he loves training but I can fully understand why he had to make the call. His priorities lie with Sheikh Mohammed and he has to do what is best for Godolphin, Darley and Dubai.

It has been a massive honour to ride for John and Bloomfields. It was a dream come true and I am going to really miss it. I am not just saying this for the sake of saying nice things, but the team there are second to none and I have loved every minute of it.

It’s been a very short association but I will struggle to find a sweeter one. It was a fantastic honour and I was very proud to be John’s jockey. It makes the reality of the news that much tougher to take.

We’ve had an exceptional year together and we will be doing everything we can to make it a season to remember for a very long time.

John is a fantastic person and once the season is over I would love our paths to cross again at some point in the future.

What this season has done is propelled my career to the next level. Sure, it would have been nice to raise a century of winners before Christmas but I am absolutely delighted to only be one short and in clear second position in the Stobart jockey’s championship.

It will be interesting to see what next season brings and hopefully there will be some other opportunities which I can grasp with both hands.

CORAL WELSH GRAND NATIONAL

As for the more immediate future, I can’t wait until Sunday. Emperor’s Choice’s win in the Coral Welsh Grand National last year was one of the highlights of my career and I am really sweet on his chances of doing the double.

I was very, very impressed with his win at Haydock last month - his only run since Chepstow. He travelled much better than he’s ever done before and I think there is still some improvement to come. I know he’s 10lb higher but I don’t think that will be a big factor. He should be in the firing line and he looks a fantastic each-way proposition in my mind.

St Stephen’s Day will seem like any other day’s jumps racing to me. I am at Huntingdon for five rides, but I can only tell you about one, as I haven’t sat on the other four.

Groundbreaking makes his jumps debut in the Racing FX Novices’ Hurdle. He was a bit temperamental on the Flat despite having a decent level of form. The hurdles have helped him concentrate in his homework and we are very confident of a big run. He would be my best chance on the card.

I will definitely make time to watch the William Hill King George, which could be one of the races of the season as it looks an absolutely vintage renewal, with the cream of Ireland and Britain represented and a great mix of experience and potential in the field.

I was lucky enough to ride Cue Card in the Punchestown Gold Cup in April and I have always had a real soft spot for him.

He had problems with a trapped epiglottis last season, which has been sorted, and he couldn’t have been more impressive in his two wins this term.

I would ride him if I had the choice, but Don Cossack is a mighty danger.