Ex-jockey's gardening skills set to bring the colour to Newmarket's big weekend

Many visitors will be flocking to the Hamilton Road next month when the annual Sir Henry Cecil Newmarket Open Weekend takes place on September 17-18, giving the public access to the town's biggest equine stars.

Yet they will first encounter not a stable yard but the award-winning garden of a former jockey, Fred Messer, at number 32.

Messer, who rode 24 winners on the Flat after starting in 1966, spent much of his life in racing and even had a race named in his honour at Wolverhampton in 2003. His gardening skills have been key in helping his mental health since he left the sport.