Describe the Cheltenham Festival in three words.

Fun, exciting, and heartbreaking sometimes!

Do you have a go-to celebration after a race?

Not really. I suppose on the bigger occasions I have to ring someone to try and compose myself again, so that’s probably the main one.

Any big characters you’re looking forward to seeing?

I’m looking forward to seeing Willie’s (Mullins) novice hurdlers again. They look the real deal.

Who would you least like to be stuck next to on the plane over there?

Oh, Danny (Mullins). He just wouldn’t leave you alone.

When you speak to other trainers at Cheltenham, are the tensions very high or are you trying to keep calm like you would for a normal race day?

The tensions are definitely higher. I’m getting older now but I still don’t feel like I belong in the same room as half the trainers there. It’s a funny one, I’m usually hiding away somewhere.