We speak to Kitty about:

- Competing in the Magnolia Cup - learning to ride racehorses, the challenging fitness test, and the emotion of the day

- Her career at the Racing Post and how her interest in racing journalism developed

- The tie between bloodstock and showing and how her interest in breeding came about

- Following sires and their progeny and what makes it exciting

- International bloodstock industries

- A standout sire to follow this season

- Advice for someone who is interested in a career in the bloodstock industry

Based in Newmarket, WC Equine specialises in pre-training, breaking & spelling. Ellie & Tegan bravely set up the business during lockdown in 2020 and are based at Bottisham Heath Stud, the site of Robert Cowell’s training operation, where they have taken 15 boxes.

We speak to the pair about:

- Their new pre-training and breaking venture and starting a business in the height of the pandemic

- The ins and outs of working with youngstock

- The demand for pre-training and breaking services and building clientele

- The day-to-day of WC Equine and what roles they both take on within the business

- How their previous experience of working in various parts of the industry has shaped their careers

- What’s next for the pair and how they see WC Equine progressing

Martin, who is originally from Liverpool, has now been in the saddle for 30 years after deciding at the age of 15 that he wanted to be a jockey, with no real prior experience of riding horses. Martin has an impressive list of winners on his CV which include the Epsom Derby, Dewhurst Stakes, Dubai Sheema Classic, Hong Kong Vase, Epsom Oaks and many Royal Ascot wins.

We speak to Martin about:

- Becoming a jockey and his apprenticeship with Ian Balding

- His career highlights - with beating Frankie Dettori to win the Epsom Derby first taking top spot

- The challenges which come with the territory, including online abuse, injury and spending far too much time in the car

- What has changed since he started out and what advice he would give an aspiring jockey

- Jockey nutrition and maintaining his weight

Derek, who is the Senior Farrier for racehorse trainer Charlie Appleby at Godolphin, speaks to us from Dubai, where he works during the Winter for the duration of the Dubai World Cup Carnival.

We speak to Derek about:

·       His background in Racing, which began in South Africa, took him to the US for training and eventually led him to Dubai and working for Godolphin, where he has been for 10 years, splitting his time between Dubai and Newmarket, UK

- The physiology of a racehorse and the characteristics and complications of the racehorse’s foot

- The history of shoeing horses with nails and how the technique and technology hasn’t hugely changed

- His Dubai method; putting shoes on for the races and taking them off and allowing the horse to go barefoot when not racing

- Derek’s own invention, the HoofCast, which aids racehorses’ compromised feet, and how he is using new technology and techniques for the betterment of the horse

- The difference between shoeing racehorses in comparison to other breeds and horses in other disciplines

- Special horses he has worked with at Godolphin, including his favourite racehorse Ghaiyyath, who was a HoofCast project horse

Jamie took up training in 2000, after a successful career as a National Hunt jockey.

We speak to Jamie about:

- The transition from jump jockey to flat trainer and how the career move came about

- The process of getting a training license and barriers to entry for aspiring trainers

- What characteristics that set apart the truly great trainers and the training techniques that they have adopted

- The standout points and defining features of Jamie Osborne’s training operation

This week, Oli & Becky are joined by the Chief Executive of Take The Reins, Deborah Hay. Take The Reins is a charity that works with young people through youth engagement programmes, personal development, transferable skills training and engagement facilitated by the racing industry at all levels.

Deborah talks to us about:

- What Take The Reins is all about; the charity’s objectives, geographic reach and the young and diverse communities they work with

- Engaging young people from inner city communities at various local racecourses and training yards where they can learn about the industry and the multitude of career opportunities that the sport offers

- Offering employability programmes and traineeships within the racing industry to give young people work experience and a track record of working within the industry

- Ongoing partnerships with racecourses, trainers, jockeys, and racing’s various entities and stakeholders

- The racing industry as an employer and why there is a need for more young people from diverse backgrounds in the sport

- The history, development and success of Take The Reins and seeing participants entering the industry

On this weeks episode, Oli & Becky are joined by racing social media personality and aspiring racing broadcaster, Hannah Baycroft. Hannah started her Racing content channel, Racing With Hannah, during the first UK lockdown as a way of building her presenting portfolio, where she has interviewed the likes of John Francome and Jim Crowley.

We chat to Hannah about:

- What it takes to create a racing content channel, how it started, the challenges she faced and how racing social media users have reacted to her content

- Her approach to social media, keeping her business and private accounts/lives separate and how she interacts with the racing community online

- What’s next for her channel in terms of content, moving on from Zoom interviews to post-lockdown stable visits and her career aspirations as a racing broadcaster

Racing to School is a charity that aims to inspire young minds through the provision of free, interactive, and healthy outdoor educational events for schools, staged at a variety of racing venues.

John talks to us about:

- What Racing to School is all about; the charity’s objectives, reach and the schools, clubs and communities they work with

What a typical Racing to School event looks like and how the educational programme ties in with school learning

- Ongoing partnerships with racecourses, trainers, and jockeys and how the Racing industry is a charitable and supportive community

- How Covid-19 has impacted the charities work and how they have adapted to the changing circumstances in order to continue supporting, educating and entertaining children

- The history, development and success of Racing to School and seeing participants grow up to become involved in the industry