It's been 20 years or so since you gave up your time in the saddle, and since then your broadcasting work has been nothing short of fantastic. This has recently been epitomised by you winning the Racing Broadcaster of the year. How much does this award mean to you?
I was genuinely surprised when I was even nominated by the HWPA and even more surprised when I won. Obviously, its a great honour and I couldn't be happier but you never set out to try and win awards these things just happen sometimes.
I count myself incredibly lucky to be doing something I love and to win an award for it was the slice of lemon in the gin and tonic.
It was even more surprised when I woke up the next day to find out I'd lost the trophy.
Apparently, someone found it in a pub I can't even remember going in !!!!!
You rode over 250 winners in your time as a jockey and landed some big race wins. Was the Welsh National on board Cool Ground the best of those that you won? When approaching the last fence in that race, what was going through your mind? Ping it or pop over?
Cool Ground's victory in the Welsh National was one of my career highlights but without wishing to sound arrogant I never had a worrying moment. We knew he was the best horse in the race and a very good jumper, so the only worry was me messing up.
But he jumped like a stag and would have stood off at the last fence if I hadn't gone for a safety comes first stride.
Later that season I finished 4th in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on him, so he was some 'good thing' with 10st at Chepstow.
The horse Air Broker played a big part in your early career, didn't he? He was known to be a 'dodgy jumper', but the partnership with yourself worked out quite well.
I'd done really well as a conditional for the late Captain Tim Forster but when my claim had gone, I went through a disastrous run of injuries. I broke my collarbone 7 times during the summer (that's why I'm such a strange shape I have had both removed) and was struggling for rides.
Reg Akehurst phoned me and asked me to ride Air Broker who he admitted 'wasn't the nicest' and I managed to get him round and finish 4th. I couldn't ride him the next few times and he fell again, so Reg said he'd only run when I was available.
I won two or three on him and he was the sole reason I got the job as first jockey to Reg.
Your first and only Cheltenham Festival winner was on board Taberna Lord in the Per-temps Final. As a massive National Hunt racing fan, I can only imagine what that felt like. Can you give our readers a bit of an insight into that victory?
I'd never ridden for Jim Wilson and got the ride on Taberna Lord as a spare on Boxing Day at Wincanton. He finished mid-division and didn't give me much of a feel.
However, when we tried him over three miles at Chepstow he finished 5th and I told Jim he'd win any staying handicap he contests next time.
So it was off to Sandown with a lightweight and a lot of expectation (I'm pretty sure he was the first ever Racing Post Pricewise selection) anyway I dropped him out the back and started to make a move late down the back straight ( the commentator Graham Goode said 'Taberna Lord making ground about time too')
He bolted up and then went to Cheltenham as one of the favourites and duly won again.
It was one of the best days of my life but I wish it had come later in my career I'd have appreciated more but I'm very proud to have won a race at the festival.
It is well known that jump jockeys are made of strong stuff, and you yourself have had your own catalogue of injuries. We can't not mention the collarbone! You broke your right one seven times in one year I believe, is it true you actually had it removed?
Given one in every eleven rides for a National Hunt jockey ends up on the deck its fair to say injury is an inevitable occupational hazard. I never had many more falls than anyone else but suffered some horrific injuries to my shoulders.
One day at Chepstow I fell and the horse was winded and lay on top of me I was in agony especially when the fence attendant pulled me from under the horse by my shoulders.
I'd dislocated and broken the ball off my right arm and was making such a fuss the old boy called me a cry baby.
You're best known these days by the younger generation as a presenter on At The Races and ITV Racing. How did you find the transition in moving from Radio 5 Live on the screen?
I've been incredibly lucky in broadcasting to have worked for so many good people.
When I stopped riding I worked for the Racing Channel and was simply awful getting everything wrong but I SLOWLY improved and got the job on ATR. They were brilliant with me and really help me and develop my own unique style, I owe them so much.
Later that year I was approached to work for BBC 5 Live and worked for them for around 15yrs before moving on to ITV.
For the first 3yrs I was getting up at 3.30am to drive to London to give going reports for racing that day but later on - when I was running a pub called the Blowing Stone, they had an ISDN fitted in the bar so I could broadcast to the nation in-between cooking breakfast for the B&B guests and cleaning up the mess from the previous evening.
They were incredible to work for and I still get on really well with the racing team and loving listening to John Hunt commentating on the Winter Olympics
It would be rude of me to go through this interview and not mention Cecil and the point to point sphere. Since moving to yourself, he has had 5 wins and 5 seconds. Something seems to be working well! I know you have always been a big supporter of p2p racing, after all its where most involved with the sport start out. Do you enjoy the training side of the game?
Some jockeys hardly ever sit on a horse once they give up race riding but I love horses and would be gutted if I couldn't go riding, in fact, I think I've ridden a horse just about every day for the last 45yrs.
Having said that I'd never train professionally as I haven't got the temperament. So many things go wrong with racehorses and I'm too soft and start crying. I promise you if I was training properly I'd have a nervous breakdown. Cecil (Porlock Bay) is an equine legend and I love him, but my other one Willy (Drumlynn), is much more talented but is a complete sick note. If I can get him right he'd win some nice races but that's a big IF.
Personally, I love the pointing scene, It's not about the money or the big names. The friendly, enthusiastic people involved and fiercely competitive participants ensure that although the prize money is minute, the atmosphere is fantastic. Is there anything you would suggest to get more people involved?
Point to pointing is my passion, I absolutely love it and wish more people would come and experience the atmosphere and competition. The days of unfit horses with very amateur jockeys contesting the races has gone and the standard is through the roof.
Not many mid-week horses would win Open point to points at the weekends.
Do you think trainers and jockeys do enough to get involved and engage with the racing public?
No.
We see you on ATR and ITV but which do you prefer? and why?
For different reasons, both have been brilliant for me. If it weren't for the Get IN show on ATR with Jason Weaver on Friday nights neither of us would have been asked to do ITV so I'm eternally grateful for that.
ATR suits my style and I love working for them, but for any broadcaster working for the terrestrial channel is the pinnacle.
I was in the local pub's beer garden having a pint when I received the call for ITV and I'm delighted how its all gone.
They are so good to work for and haven't tried to change what I do in any shape or form.
I feel very proud of what ITV has achieved in a relatively short space of time and I can carry on living the dream. I particularly like going down to the starts at the major flat meetings. Royal Ascot last year, was game changer for me.
But to answer the original question I don't have a preference for either.
What's it like working with Matt Chapman? Is he as loud and excitable in real life, as he is on TV?
There is no point putting a team together with too many similar characters and its safe to say Matt is a one-off.
He's loud, knowledgeable, sometimes irritating (although I'm in a slightly fragile glass house on this one) but a very good broadcaster.
You might be surprised to learn away from the camera he's not extrovert and on nights away spends more time in his hotel room than out and about.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get into racing?
Whatever you're chosen profession the only way to succeed is to work hard. Whatever I do, I do to the best of my limited ability. If I was a horse I wouldn't need cheek pieces or blinkers that's for sure.
We've heard some highly amusing stories from jockeys throughout the years, and one of yours I'd like to touch on (although you may want to forget!), is that night of Captain Tim Forster's dinner party which The Duchess of Westminster was attending… Can you retell the tale?
My whole career is littered with embarrassing stories but one that might amuse your readers was back in the early 80's while working for Captain Tim Forster.
The captain was having a rare dinner party and had invited some very important guests.
I was living down the road in the less than salubrious hostel and was annoying all the other lads with my constant chattering.
It got so bad they decided to strip me naked and tie me to a chair and put me in the middle of the road.
It was mid-February and minus 4!
As the Captains guests arrived they were forced to slow down to circumnavigate me and much to the Captain's amusement, one old lady said 'Tim I'm terribly worried there appears to a woman in a wheelchair stuck in the middle of your drive'
You've covered some of the biggest and best race meetings in both codes of the sport, including the Cheltenham Festival which I imagine was a great highlight for yourself. What else would you like to achieve within broadcasting on the sport?
I'm genuinely living the dream but it's a precarious occupation and you never know what's around the corner.
I never get complacent about job and will keep giving 100% until the day I'm' told to go.
Despite what Barney Curley said I've actually overachieved.
And finally Luke, we have an imaginary champagne reception, we have only 4 tickets. Who from racing do we invite and why?
Not keen on Champagne and prefer cheap lager, but my four guests would be, John Francome - because he's so sharp and amusing and doesn't drink so we'd save a few quid, Emily Jones - so that we wouldn't be short of conversation. Jason Weaver - because he's a terrible drinker and would make a fool of himself and Oli Bell because he never gets invited to anything.
A huge thanks to Luke for being so honest and taking the time to answer our questions.
Oli and Matt, you're next..... We've plenty of questions that we'd love to ask you.
We'll be in touch...
 Chats with the HUR team){kind=link}
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