Galloping from the back of an 11-strong field to pass the post in fifth place, Richard Brooks (pictured) finished the 5.55 at Newbury with a grin on his face – and he even had time to give Frankie Dettori ‘a few tips’ back in the jockeys’ dressing room.

Richard, a partner in the racing and bloodstock team at regional firm Withy King, completed the one-mile five-furlong Betterbet.com charity race on 12 June to raise money for two charities.

From a flag start – ‘I was a gentleman and let everyone else through, so I started at the back’ – he picked his way steadily through the field. ‘You feel like you have time to think when you’re running, but it’s all over in a flash,’ he says.

However, he would have liked to spend a little more time in the gym. ‘I wish I’d gone on the equaciser.’

The equaciser? ‘It’s a barrel-shaped contraption covered in carpet, with a horse’s head,’ he explains. ‘It simulates riding in a race.’

Richard had, however, a little riding experience – although not as much as the rest of the jockeys, who were, apparently, drawn mainly from local stables. ‘I’ve ridden out once a week or so with local racehorse trainers.’

In order to take part in the charity race, jockeys had to raise £1,000 in sponsorship for the Spinal Injuries Association. On top of this, Richard raised £2,000 for Wiltshire’s Ella Louisa Angel Appeal – a charity supporting transport services for seriously ill babies, which he learned about from Noel Fehily, the Lambourn-based jockey.