What do you get if you take a best-selling author and renowned trainer, and combine it with 14 months of research into a wide cross-section of jump jockeys? You get a compelling and informative book, that’s what! Whether you are a racing fan, a sports lover, looking for the ideal present, or just interested in seeing what makes the people who compete in one of the most dangerous sports, tick, then this could well be the book for you. With a foreword from Sir Anthony McCoy OBE, and appreciation by Yogi Breisner MBE you can tell that what is to come is going to be captivating. Author Henrietta Knight was the trainer of three time Cheltenham Cup winner Best Mate, she is a former teacher, eventer and Olympic selector, and still works with horses on a daily basis. In her introduction she explains that she has heard some fascinating stories in her research: “I’ve appreciated the frankness and trust that have been afforded to me… This book demonstrates my love for jump racing and my fascination for examining its grass roots”. She is basically looking at what it takes to be a jump jockey, what inspired each of her chosen, and gives her opinion on their skills and abilities. Some wonderful photos compliment the writing. In essence Starting From Scratch goes behind the scenes to explore the motivation and chart the success stories of some of our top jump jockeys.
Successful jump jockeys come from a variety of backgrounds. Their childhoods and upbringings show vast differences. Some originate from families already connected to horses and racing - they were always going to be riders. Yet others have parents who have no equine connections whatsoever, which presents the question: why did these kids become jockeys and how? In her latest book on racing, best-selling author Henrietta Knight - the three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer of the legendary Best Mate charts the lives of more than 80 jump jockeys in the hope of finding out what inspired them in childhood to take up one of the most dangerous jobs in sport. Among the great and good to be profiled are household names such as Richard Dunwoody, John Francome, Sir Anthony McCoy and Ruby Walsh, and throughout Starting From Scratch we discover how many of racing's most celebrated individuals opted to take the path they did.
Henrietta Knight has lived all her life in the beautiful Berkshire village of West Lockinge, where she also trained the great racehorse, Best Mate. She is the author of two bestselling books, Best Mate: Chasing Gold and Best Mate: Triple Gold.
