'A valet can expect to get through a massive bag of ladies' tights every month'

1 Valets are responsible for all of the rider's kit bar the colours, which are brought to the races by the trainer's representative. They look after breeches, boots, whips, helmets, goggles, gloves and so on, and they liaise with the trainer's representative regarding the equipment that attaches to the saddle, such as girths and breast girths. Brian Yorke and Phil Taylor run traditional businesses, handed down through the family, but nowadays a master valet is more likely to be a former jockey like Chris Maude, Ian Lawrence, David Mustow or Steve Charlton than someone who has spent his career in the job.

2 Valets provide the ladies' tights that jockeys wear under their breeches. Tights weigh next to nothing but they help provide warmth in the winter and also minimise chafing to the knees and thighs. Boots are often slip-on nowadays, especially on the Flat, and wearing tights makes it easier to get them on and off. The tights are washed at the end of the day but don't last forever, so a valet can expect to get through a massive bag of them every month.

3 Valets are responsible for making sure the weight is correct for each race, so that by the time the jockey presents himself to the clerk of the scales it might only be a matter of adding or taking away a few ounces of lead to meet the designated weight precisely. Usually the weight is spot-on.