Age Good question . . . 34, 1973, yes 34
Marital status Married to Lizzie
Licensed since 1998
Retainer: Free lance
Lives Collingbourne Ducis, near Marlborough
Drives 7 series BMW
Agent Geoff Lester
What's your perfect night in, and your perfect night out? My perfect night in would be dinner with the family followed by a game of cards. We'd play something like seven-card stud, which is a kind of poker. A perfect night out would be a trip down to the Shears pub in Collingbourne with the Hannon family. It's always entertaining to listen to them arguing all night.
You've picked up a two-day suspension – what are you going to do to entertain yourself? On the first day I'd take Mick Fitzgerald for £20 at golf and on the second day he'd take it back off me again. We play quite a lot together down at our local club in Newbury.
What's your favourite holiday destination? Definitely Barbados. I've been going for the past seven years or so now. I like to go to a nice hotel or house, just with the wife, to go and switch off and relax. I think like it so much because I know it so well now.
Who'd be your ideal three companions for the long drive to Musselburgh? I'd take Anthony Hopkins because I have always admired him and his films – he would probably be interesting. There'd be no point in taking Lester and you'd never get a word out of him for the whole way! To keep me entertained I'd bring the Irish comedian Pat Short, and finally we'd have Michael Schumacher to get us there in time.
What CDs would you keep in the glove compartment for when the conversation dries up? I'd don't really buy CDs. With that lot in the car we wouldn't need too much music, but when I'm driving I just like listening to anything and mostly stick to Radio 1. My favourite artist would probably be Bob Marley.
Who are your biggest heroes – in and out of racing? My biggest hero in racing is Lester Piggott just because he's the best. Outside racing it's the golfer Jack Nicklaus for his determination and will to win. I've spent my whole career trying to emulate the two of them, and I'm still working on it now.
What things excite you – and what do you find a turn-off? Fast horses excite me and none more so than Oasis Dream. He was an amazing animal. Banded racing turns me off – it's just not that exciting.
What's the funniest thing that ever happened to you in the course of your work? Frankie and I managed to pull a lad's pants off passing the winning line one day at Newmarket. Gyles Parkin, who mostly rides up north, was riding in paper breeches and as we were passing the post, Frankie and I managed to get him. I think Frankie got more out of his horse after the line than he did in the final furlong. Gyles went back into the weighing room bare-arsed and slightly red-faced.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be? I would make the bookmakers put the prize-money in for horses rated under 55, as in this class, they're the only ones making any money.
If you hadn't been a jockey, what would you like to have done? I've been lucky in that I've always wanted to be a jockey. I left school at 15 to ride and so if it hadn't been racing it would have been something else with horses. If I'd stayed on at school I'd have been a professor and a great scientist.
Do you ever read the Betfair forum? No, not at the moment. I will when I retire, though – I'll go on and slag off all the jockeys who ride the losing horses I've backed.
What's the daftest question you've ever been asked by a journalist?
At Newmarket one day a rather short journalist, who shall remain nameless, looked up at me and asked, “Do you struggle with your weight?”
What are the best and worst rides you have ever given a horse? The worst ride was on Paddy's Return in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham. I thought the winning post was at the bottom of the hill – I kicked for home too soon and finished third. I'd ridden there plenty of times before, but didn't get it right. Neither the trainer nor the owners were best pleased and still remind me of it today. The jump jockeys think its good banter too and are always bringing it up. My best ride was on Harmonic Way in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot.
I started riding him as a four-year-old maiden and found the key to him to win. We went from last to first in a 30-runner field and I think it was also the first race that the BBC used cameras on the jockeys' heads. I was wearing one and it was pretty cool.
What's the biggest regret of your career? I regret not having ever ridden in a chase. It's beginning to get too late, but I'll never say never. So if anyone's offering . . .