After yesterday’s stream of Grand National interviews today feels like being washed up after the storm with Alan Lee and Alastair Down’s calmly reasoned pieces in the Times and Racing Post tasting like much needed liqueur for revival.

For once I had agreed to do Five Live with Nicky Campbell at 7-30, other programmes started ringing to book me as the guy they would pitch in to what they clearly thought was “defending the indefensible”. I am not sure how well I did, but with the media storm raging I did not think I should be aggressive with the Animal Aid people or even to point out that what they really want is to give horses the vote. Since they castigated me for using animals “as conscripted labour”, I can’t see how they could be satisfied with anything short of soya milk.

The final denouement was being opposite David Cassidy on The One which was quite a surprise – in four separate ways.

1.  He was very short and thin – he felt like an elderly shrivelled version of Steve Cauthen
2.  He was so fired up it was as if he was on something.
3.  He claimed to be my greatest fan – did he think I was Tommo?
4.  He said the National should be banned because America used drugs – memo for DC : the dead horses were French and Irish bred, the winner Irish. Anyway, despite what you might think, it was all very good natured and D Cassidy apologized profusely afterwards if he had given offense. Perhaps he should have a horse with someone?

One final thing which shows my age. The One Show presenters were very sweet but to me were absolute kids, younger than my youngest daughter?