He said: “Hopefully I can give it one more stint and then maybe in a year or two call it a day.”

Weight is the 47-year-old’s problem and he was fined R1 000 for weighing in at 62.4kg after weighing out at the correct 61kg. Tellytrack presenter Stan Elley, unaware of this, asked Fortune about his weight and was answered with: “Do you want me to give up everything? I gave up drugs and I gave up sex but I love my food.”

Typically he aimed a couple of playful digs at his rivals, saying: “I look at the TV and see who is riding winners. My God – and they haven’t got half the talent I’ve got. “On Miss Saigon I thought that if I could make them commit behind me, I’d have them. They are not the brightest bunch!”

Eric Sands believes that he has put his poor-feed nightmare behind him after Greg Cheyne completed a four-timer on Study The Stars in the last. This was a belated first winner of the season for the Milnerton trainer. He said: “For two months I had no runners and for a further month there were no gallops but I think you are going to see a big swing from now on.”

Anthony Andrews has been stood down until Friday week after pulling ligaments in his neck when Canyoucan flipped over with him in the parade ring at Durbanvile last weekend.