There is still no certainty about the timing of Graham Lee's return to race-riding. Indeed, though he hopes to make the Grand National, in which he will seek a second win on either Joes Edge or Idle Talk, Lee is adamant that he will not rush the recovery process from head injuries that caused alarming memory loss.

Despite lying second in the championship with 89 winners when he took a crushing fall at Huntingdon in early February, Lee's fight for fitness was eclipsed by that of Tony McCoy. The champion was back to ride a Cheltenham winner but Lee missed the Festival and has shelved his revised target of Easter.

He has no ongoing problem with the jaw he broke in two places and told Diary yesterday: “It's all about the head injury. The National meeting is my next aim and I'd love to be back to get to 100 winners. But if my head isn't right, then nobody will see me on a racecourse.”

Lee was shocked by the after-effects of the fall and says he can remember nothing about the incident, nor three days in hospital. “At first, when I got home, I was sleeping for 12 hours at a time, getting up and wanting to go straight back to sleep. I had a brain scan last week, which came back clear, and the other good thing is that I'm getting through some tough gym sessions. The doctors warned me I might get headaches once the blood started pumping but, so far, I'm fine.

“Many people advised me to avoid watching Cheltenham but I saw every minute of it. I'll ride out for Ferdy [Murphy] on Saturday and if that goes well, I'll be back there every day. If not, I'll just give it the time I need.”

Behind the obvious joy of Sam Thomas and his family and friends, at Cheltenham last Friday, lay a secret sadness. Thomas's girlfriend is Susie Dowty, whose elder brother, Harry, took his own life less than two months ago while a student at the Royal Agricultural College.

Dowty was a promising point-to-point rider who had already worked for Jonjo O'Neill and longed to make a career as a jockey. In a typically undemonstrative way, Thomas wished to pay his own respects and, on the eve of the Gold Cup, he asked for an item of Dowty's clothing to wear for his ride on Denman.

With Ruby Walsh thought likely to opt for Snowy Morning in the Grand National, Thomas can expect another high-profile ride for the Paul Nicholls yard on the Becher Chase winner, Mr Pointment. But with several other intended runners, Nicholls may have to look beyond his regular jockeys and one likely beneficiary is Daryl Jacob. He has been riding out at Ditcheat in recent weeks and is thought to have impressed the champion trainer.

If Andrew Thompson wished to impose himself as Channel 4's head of sport, he could have made no firmer statement than the trimming of John McCririck's wings. Big Mac is aghast after being told his appearances on the channel's racing coverage are to be reduced dramatically and the public is inevitably polarised in its reaction.

Be sure of one thing, though - the whiskered one will not go quietly. Considering the stir he made on Big Brother and Celebrity Wife Swap, more reality shows may be on the cards. Could he go to the jungle to eat bugs, perhaps? Or maybe a turn on Strictly Come Dancing? The mind boggles.

Against the odds, Good Friday is still spared from the misguided compulsion to stage racing on every available day, so the traditional open days in Lambourn and Middleham will proceed again tomorrow. At Lambourn, where more than 30 yards are open during the morning, the afternoon diversions include a motorcycle stunt display with an interesting prop. Harriet Smyly, wife of the event organiser, Mark, has loaned her car for the stunt riders to jump over. Brave woman.