ENGLAND had one winner at Cheltenham on Tuesday. Michael O’Sullivan had two.

The 23-year-old only turned professional last autumn but, as he outlined in an interview in this paper last weekend, it was just another step in a long-term plan.

This wasn’t one of those ‘turn pro and see how it goes’ moves. O’Sullivan had already come through the point-to-point ranks, where he was under-21 champion, and he knew he could rely on a certain amount of support once he completed his university studies last summer and prepared himself for professional ranks.

Still, he would be the first to admit that he never thought it would go this well, so quickly.

Speaking after his Supreme Novices’ Hurdle success on Marine Nationale, he said: “This year has been so good. I suppose it is hard to appreciate it and it is hard to be topped but I’m enjoying every minute of it. I was coming here with a good book of rides and to win the first one it takes the pressure off.

“I’ve been riding in races since I was very young so I’ve plenty of experience and I’m confident enough in my own ability without being over-confident and I’m riding good horses for good people and that makes it a lot easier.”

Once more he paid tribute to the work put in to him by his father William, a Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey himself

“Dad is amazing,” he said. “I grew up listening to stories of him riding and how good he was - he rode a Festival winner and was a very accomplished amateur, and in fairness to Dad he never pushed me too much, but when he saw I had interest, he gave me every opportunity.

“He drove me all over the country and spent a lot of money sending me eventing and show jumping, and it’s great that it’s paying off. Dad kills himself with hard work at home on the farm, and it’s great that he’s here today.”

A proud William O’Sullivan told ITV Racing: “It’s unreal. He’s worked very hard at his riding all his life and I couldn’t be happier for him. He really deserves it.

“He has [maturity beyond his years] but he was always very level-headed and he always thought a lot about what he was doing. He was very committed to his studies and when he started riding, he was very committed to getting things right before he even sat on the horses, and studying the form.”

On how he’s been able to help his son, he said: “There’s questions on the way to ride some horses and you try to help him the best you can, but he does a lot of the studying himself. He gets a lot of help from a lot of people, the other jockeys are all full of advice to him and that really helps him. You’re only as good as your last ride, and hopefully it will keep going for him.

“I was very nervous [watching the Supreme], just hoping things would go right for him. It was a fierce achievement to get a ride like that in the Supreme from Barry Connell and he was just hoping that Barry Connell’s trust in him paid off and thank God it did. “

A second Festival winner for Michael O’Sullivan was to follow just hours later, and there will probably be many more to come.

The question is whether a big stable or owner will move to sign him up.