Since being interested in the gallops since the late 1950s, I always had the firm impression that Val Smith was in many ways the antithesis of Tommy Smith, the "real lady", whereas Tommy was a bit "rough around the edges". I think Gai and I are two very different people (for example but not only, she's successful and I'm not) but I admire very much her in many ways. Her success in life has to be traced back very much to her mother and father and the respective influences that they had on her. This is a very sad time for Gai but I think that she will have the comfort of having had a great relationship with Val Smith and furthermore, that her mother was immensely proud of her. Many of us would like or have liked, such comfort in similar circumstances.