‘Andy Catling’s Odds & Sods burst onto the literary track with the energy of a hot tip at the starting gate.’ The reviews rave about this debutant novel, describing Andy’s writing as ‘sharp and stylish’ creating a ‘page-turner’. Within the crime fiction genre, the novel serves up a hustle along with vengeance amid the backdrop of racing and gambling. Beyond the racecourse, the novel’s exciting plot sizzles in shady East End backrooms, where the concepts of triumph and disast

It’s hard to imagine Harry Stock’s career as a jockey ended when he wasn’t far over twenty. Nowadays, Harry, 28, is a full-time chimney sweep but still dabbles in the racing industry by continuing to ride out. ‘I also do a bit of lawn mowing in the summer,’ adds Harry. Monday through to Wednesday, Harry rides out for Martin Keighley and then goes ‘sweeping’ in that area. Towards the end of the week, Harry rides out for DJ Jeffreys near Evesham. ‘I’ve got my own horse there,

Vanessa Ryle started from the bottom with a dream and heaps of gusto. Her school years weren’t the easiest but there had been hints of her present vocation – ‘My dyslexia hadn’t made me good at reading and writing but I was OK at talking!’.  Now, a well-established presenter on Sky Sports Racing  as well as a podcaster on the Running Loose, Vanessa is a self-confessed lover of racing. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her adoration for this sport is all too evident. ‘I’m fasc

October ended with the trees blazing an autumnal inferno with every imaginable yellow, gold, red, orange and russet. The horses’ sleek summer coats grew into their longer tufty winter wear, as the chill pinched cheeks, fingertips and toes for the first time this season… Dame Jilly Cooper This month hadn’t long begun when the news came that author Dame Jilly Cooper had passed away. My thoughts went immediately to her family and friends, but also that she has a special place i

Trainer John Berry’s two hundred-plus winners have occurred over both codes and at racecourses in all four corners of the UK. He’s a self-confessed ‘smaller’ trainer, based at Newmarket’s Beverley House Stables. John shares many memories of good days on racecourse and not all of winners. In 2002, Diamond Joshua finished third in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. ‘He was the first British-trained horse home and it was the day of Best Mate’s first Gold Cup – that