Eye-opening account of ownership from behind the scenes

Under Orders – The Diary of a Racehorse Owner’s Husband by John Timpson
£14.99, published by Icon Books (in association with Eclipse magazine) – iconbooks.com or eclipsemagazine.co.uk

Timpson stores are everywhere. They might not stand out, but there are more than 1,000 in Britain and most people have visited one. After all, who hasn’t had a shoe repaired or key cut?

At the helm of his family’s business is chairman John Timpson, who was awarded a CBE in 2004 for his services to the retail industry. He has a column in the Daily Telegraph and has written books on business and management. As detailed in these pages, it is fair to say his involvement with racehorses flies in the face of his more businesslike day-to-day attitude to financial matters.