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I am delighted to be launching David Grant's book tonight, firstly because it is special for a Racing Minister to be launching a new book on racing, and secondly because sometimes I feel like a modern, political and female equivalent of a "tic tac man".

It's been an interesting year for racing already, and it promises to be even more so as the year progresses.

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you this morning. It hardly seems like a year since I spoke at your last AGM, but time flies in this job. I know the saying "may you live in interesting times" is supposed to be an ancient Chinese curse but I disagree.

· Welcome to all our guests tonight, particularly the Australian Kangaroos and New Zealand Kiwis, and two famous Australian-based Kiwi jockeys, the Cassidy brothers, Jim and Larry.

Good evening. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have made it here this evening without an undignified event along the way.