SOMETIMES it doesn’t pay to be alone with your own thoughts.David Casey has faced all sorts of daunting prospects in the 24 years since telling his career guidance teacher, as a joke, and that he wanted to become a jockey, then going through with it because he feared he might get into trouble and his best friend bet him he wouldn’t.

He has ridden 16 Grade 1 winners, experienced the rush of Cheltenham glory twice, bagged two French Champion Hurdles and a brace of Hennessy Gold Cups, was the first claimer to be victorious in the Galway Hurdle and is in illustrious company having added the Plate to his lengthy roll of honour in later years.