Phenomenal Desert Orchid didn't know how to give up

Richard Dunwoody, 53, is a three-time champion jump jockey whose career total of 1,699 winners in Britain was a record until surpassed by Sir Anthony McCoy. Including Ireland and elsewhere, he rode 1,884 winners altogether, among them two Grand Nationals, a Gold Cup, a Champion Hurdle and four King Georges.

Since his retirement in 1999 he has undergone a number of adventures in aid of charity, and on February 27 he embarks on his first such trip for seven years as he walks the length of Japan from south to north to raise awareness for Sarcoma UK, the bone and soft-tissue cancer charity. Dunwoody's nephew George is fighting the disease. You can support Dunwoody with donations at

West Tip
Gala Performance - Astryl
Trainer Michael Oliver
Owner Peter Luff
Biggest win 1986 Grand National
I was riding as an amateur for Tim Forster and doing a bit of point-to-pointing for Colin Nash when I got the ride on West Tip. Michael Oliver's brother Martin saw me riding as a claiming amateur somewhere and I started riding a lot of theirs. My first Cheltenham winner was for them, Von Trappe in the Coral Golden Hurdle in 1985, and I rode West Tip to win the Ritz Club at the same meeting. Then he fell at Becher's in the National but we won it the next year and he didn't fall again; after we won, I finished fourth, fourth and second on him in the National. He was absolutely brilliant round there and he always gave me a lot of confidence.