I RODE my first winner under rules on Lir Speciale on the final day of the flat season at Doncaster. I wasn’t sure that I had won pulling up and, even when the result was announced it took a while for it to sink in.

At the start of the year, I wasn’t really worried too much about winners; I just wanted to pick up rides and get as much experience as I could. Riding a winner was an added bonus but I definitely got great satisfaction from it.