Thursday 13 October 2016 18:32, UK
With Jim Crowley the Stobart Champion Flat Jockey-elect we sat down with him ahead of QIPCO British Champions Day for his thoughts on a memorable season.
Crowley has come from nowhere to lead the championship, having been a 66/1 shot for the title when betting opened and still being some way out of contention as recently as July.
His form since the middle of summer has been second to none and he is now set to overcome his chief rival Silvestre de Sousa and win the title for the first time, in his second season since taking on leading agent Tony Hind to book his rides.
The 38-year-old, who turned to National Hunt racing for a number of years after an amateur career on the flat, will be on home ground on Saturday when the season closes at Ascot with a spectacular day's racing on a track just around the corner from his birthplace.
How much does winning the Stobart Flat Jockeys' Championship mean to you?
"Winning the Stobart Jockeys' Championship is a lifetime's ambition. It's what every jockey wants to do at some point in their career - you want to be Champion Jockey.
"It's just been fantastic this season, it's taken a while to get there but it's great to have finally done it. Without a doubt, winning the Jockeys' Championship is the pinnacle of my career."
How tough an opponent has Silvestre De Sousa been?
"Silvestre has been an unbelievably tough opponent this year. I take my hat off to him, he really is a fierce competitor - he doesn't know when to give up.
"Although it has been difficult at times, I think he's probably brought the best out in me being up against him."
How much of a drain on your energy has the past few months been?
"It hasn't actually been that bad to be honest.
"At the start of the year I had a strange feeling I might be in this position, so I got myself really fit. As a result my body has held up really well and my mind hasn't been too bad either.
"Although life as a jockey can be tiring, the way I look at it is it's nice to be in this position, so if you are, you may as well enjoy it."
What steps do you take to manage your weight?
"Before the season got underway, I went up to see Dr George Wilson [an Exercise Physiologist & Post-Doctoral Researcher at Liverpool John Moores University] who helped me a lot.
"I knew, roughly, what to do anyway, but he got me doing lots of interval training and running every day. Also, like most jockeys, I keep a close eye on what I eat ensuring I fuel my body properly.
"This all meant that at the start of this year I was the fittest I have been in my whole life, and it has really stood me in good stead for the busy schedule I've had this season."
How do you manage all the travelling?
"Fortunately from June or July I have had a driver to help me with all the travelling, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep up the momentum without that support.
"With the work load increasing over the past few months, I have been flying to race meetings once or twice a week to help cut down the travel time, but even with the flying, I would have thought I've done around 25,000 miles in the car since July."
What will you be doing after you are crowned Stobart Champion Flat Jockey?
"For the next few weeks I will probably carry on as normal, there are still some good fixtures to ride at in Britain but I might be giving myself a few more days off here and there to recuperate.
"Once the turf season has finished [on November Handicap Day at Doncaster], I will be looking to get a holiday booked in with the family but more importantly, it will just be nice to spend some time at home."
Keep up to date with the Stobart Flat Jockeys' Championship here: www.greatbritishracing.com/championships/
