Meet the jockey who raided hotel kitchens, dined with Gorbachev and is now chasing one last big goal - all for the love of the game

If you ever feel there is too much romance and glamour attached to racing, the antidote is to have a chat with a leading jockey who has just landed a big prize in some far-flung and fascinating land that you have always wanted to visit but have never been able to afford to.

What, you wonder, was it like? Were the people welcoming? Was the local food a treat? And what about the indigenous alcohol you had heard so much about?

The answer, almost always, is a crashing disappointment, along the lines that the trip consisted of a taxi ride from the airport to the racecourse, a taxi ride from the racecourse to the airport, and then a flight back home with a warm can of Coke and a little bag of peanuts.