Why Wayne Hutchinson woke up one morning and decided enough was enough

In the years ahead the sequence of photographs mounted in Wayne Hutchinson’s hallway may send a shiver down his spine.

It depicts him falling off Eric’s Charm at the first fence in the 2010 Grand National after a mid-air collision with Hello Bud. It was Hutchinson’s debut in the great race and he clung on for dear life until gravity claimed him. Because he was in the lead at the time, the sequence shows him about to be trampled underfoot by horses in hot pursuit.

Thankfully he emerged unscathed, as he would from a career in the saddle that spanned 22 years. It took the racing community by surprise when he announced his retirement four weeks ago, but to the lad from Swindon the best thing was that he called time on his terms.