IT’S always a pleasure to listen to Noel Meade recall and recount racing stories. The man from Castletown, Co Meath is a perennially buoyant character but has even more reason to be positive as he enters the deeper waters of the jumps season in great shape.

In the last two weeks he has sent out 42 horses (flat and jumps) from his Tu Va base, with 24 of them finishing in the first four. From lockdown, he has sent out 26 jumps winners which has contributed significantly to stable jockey Sean Flanagan’s total of 38 winners, which has him just four away from Rachael Blackmore at the top of the jumps jockeys’ championship.