Age 22
Marital status (Very) single
Licensed since 2005
Retainer Apprentice with Conrad Allen
Lives Newmarket
Drives Ford Focus
Agent Neil Allen
What's your perfect night in, and your perfect night out? My perfect night in would be dinner followed by the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD, sat on the sofa with a bottle of wine and my dog on my knees. For a perfect night out I would go out for a meal with family and friends. Afterwards we'd go for a dance somewhere, hopefully further a field than De Niros – maybe Cambridge.
You've picked up a two-day suspension – what are you going to do to entertain yourself? One of the joys of being an apprentice is that I'd still have to be in the yard to ride out as usual, and then back later for evening stables. In the afternoon I'd no doubt be sat on the sofa watching the racing. Maybe I'd make it out to do a bit of shopping.
What's your favourite holiday destination? I spent last winter as an exercise rider for Paddy Gallagher in California. That was amazing. One day I hope to go and live in America.
Who'd be your ideal three companions for the long drive to Musselburgh? My ideal companions would have to be the actors Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. I like Johnny a lot and I wouldn't be fussy – he could come in or out of his pirate costume. I'd better take my best mate to, otherwise she'd probably never speak to me again.
What CDs would you keep in the glove compartment for when the conversation dries up? At the moment I'm listening to Razorlight, Natasha Bedingfield and the Arctic Monkeys. I also like R&B, so I'd keep a few albums in the car too. It would have to depend what Johnny liked.
Who are your biggest heroes – in and out of racing? My biggest hero in racing is Mick Kinane. The man's an absolute genius on a horse. Out of racing, my hero would be Harvey Smith when he was show jumping. Before I started racing I did show jumping myself and he was my trainer, helping me a lot. Harvey taught me that with enough determination you can achieve anything.
What things excite you – and what do you find a turnoff? Like everyone, riding winners excites me. I'd even say just being able to ride every day is great. Having the opportunity to ride class horses obviously gives me a great buzz. The biggest turnoff in racing is being beaten a short head.
What's the funniest thing that ever happened to you in the course of your work? Nothing stands out in my mind. However, with a surname like mine you hear some pretty strange efforts at pronouncing it. The starters really seem to struggle with the pronunciation. ‘Milkshake' was a particular favourite and it's unfortunately now starting to stick. I even heard it on the TV the other day.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
Equality for girls is improving all the time, but I'd love to see us getting the same chances as the lads. It's just a case of changing people's opinions and giving girls rides on good horses.
If you hadn't been a jockey, what would you like to have done? I've always wanted to work in the media, but as a presenter, not an actress. I know I'm a drama queen but I wouldn't be a good actress. You can't be a jockey forever, and maybe one day I'll look at going into TV presenting.
Do you ever read the Betfair forum? No, I don't. I've heard a lot about it though. I'm not sure I want to read what people are saying about me!
What's the daftest question you've ever been asked by a journalist? A journalist once came up to me and started talking to me really slowly and loudly, as if I was deaf. She then asked me if I wanted a translator. She obviously thought that with my surname I was foreign. She got a bit of a surprise to find out I was English and understood her perfectly well!
What are the best and worst rides you have ever given a horse? The worst ride I ever gave a horse was on a 150-1 shot at Wolverhampton. We hit the front a furlong and a half out and I dropped my whip. Dean McKeown got up to beat me on the line. It was gutting. The best ride I gave a horse was on a filly called Coffin Dodger at Yarmouth last year. She'd been second three times that season and got up to win by a short head in the dying strides.
What's the biggest regret of your career? If I had to give one regret it would be that I came into racing a bit late. I'd love to have got started at 16 rather than 20. I was show jumping before that and decided to make the switch in 2005. However, I don't believe in regrets and say to myself, better late than never.