It’s great to be back on Fire Fighting at Ripon today. I’ve had a good record on him and he’s a horse you can’t help but like and I know him well. He’s as tough as they come.

He’s been running some pretty decent races and drops down to handicap company, so should find things easier. He’s also stepping up to a mile and a half, which should suit and Mark Johnston’s horses are running very well so you can make a solid case for him in the M.C.H. Hutchinson Memorial Handicap.

I’m also riding Yorkidding for Mark. He looks to be running off a good mark and runs well fresh so is another who is also going to be there or thereabouts in the Download The Free attheraces App Handicap.

I’m at Thirsk tomorrow, when the pick of my rides looks to be Pomme De Terre. He’s won at the track before and is a horse we’re looking forward to this season. I would be pretty confident of his chances except for the ground. Any rain would help his cause in the Pompilio Savignano Handicap.

I mentioned that Mark’s horses are running well and he nearly won the Investec Derby trial at Epsom, with Permian going down a short head to Cracksman.

It was a really canny ride from Franny Norton and he nearly pinched the race. Credit must go to the winner though. He was very workmanlike and the race clearly wasn’t run to suit him. He’ll learn a lot from it but I would like to see him run again before evaluating whether he’s Derby class.

Mark and Franny did follow up in the following race with Galapiat, a French import who looks like a proper Group horse, while perhaps the most eye-catching performance of the week was again from one of Mark’s juveniles, Emilia James. She looked smart at Beverley on Thursday and she’ll be winning again.

While I was at Beverley I took part in an initiative to promote the racecourse’s Hull FC Rugby League night on May 31, when the training squad from Hull FC are coming down to show their skills and meet the crowd.

I took on Hull’s Scott Taylor in a race and just touched him off in a photo finish. I should add that I was on a horse and Scott wasn’t! It was good fun and hopefully might add some numbers to the crowd.

Scott’s a local lad and one of the top players. He’s off to Australia soon to take on Samoa and good luck to him and the team.

Growing up I did want to be a Jumps jockey - I thought weight might rule me out of a career on the Flat - and Brian Harding was a jockey I really looked up to.

I know him well so wanted to pay tribute to his career, following the announcement of his retirement this week.

He’s 45, which is a very good age for a Jumps jockey and testament to his fitness and work ethic, and was professional about how he went about his business on and off his track. He is a wonderful horseman, too, and one who can get horses to really run for him. I wish him well in whatever he decides to do now.

Paul Mulrennan is sponsored by Racing UK, the leading horseracing channel, which has recently launched on YouView 231. See www.racinguk.com/youview for more.