If you’ve ever spent your morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each Monday, we speak to someone from a different profession to discover what it’s really like.
This week we chat to Harry Skelton, National Hunt jockey and winner of the David Power Jockeys’ Cup…
Jockeys are self-employed, so your pay can be up and down depending on your results… We get a flat rate fee of around £200 a ride and then if you win or place, you get additional prize money. About 8% of the winning pot goes to the jockey. We generally get paid to train and exercise horses in the morning, too.
For me, a typical day is a bit different… because I’m very much involved in the training and running of the yard. My brother Dan Skelton is a renowned trainer and only narrowly missed out on becoming Champion Trainer last year when losing on the final day to Willie Mullins, so on non-racing days I’ll be up at 5.30am before stopping for an hour at 1pm, before going back to the horses riding out, schooling horses and organising the training before stopping about 5.30pm.
Jockey Harry Skelton
On racing days… I’ll be up at the same time and immediately riding out before heading off to wherever that day’s racing is, sometimes three to four hours away. Most of the time I’ll be home by about 7pm but sometimes it can get up to 10pm before I’m home.
I don’t have a particular pre-race routine… and not anything superstitious, but I just want to be sure that I’m prepared for each race as much as possible, and I’ll always do my homework on that.
I don’t get any expenses… everything is a cost to the jockey. Tom Messenger, who works for us, does most of the driving, but there’s a lot of time spent in the car.
I was two when I first sat on a horse… I have always ridden, but not all jockeys need to start that young. My first job was as an amateur jockey at Richard Hannon’s yard when I was 16. You have to be determined. You must want to win in this job.
Harry Skelton aboard The New Lion at Cheltenham. Pic: PA
I run as a business, so all my prize money goes into there… It’s just a question of trying to keep building that up. The David Power Jockeys’ Cup was a new competition for jump jockeys last season, with a first-place prize of £500k, which I was lucky enough to win. I haven’t paid tax on it yet, but if you’re paying big tax bills, it means you’re earning plenty, so even though they’re a pain when it comes to paying them, I’d rather be paying them than not. I haven’t bought myself anything out of that prize yet, but I will be putting on a big party to say thank you to everyone who has supported me.
I do have a pension and investments ready to go… but I think I’ll be busier in retirement than I am now.
My message to horse racing critics is… there’s a lack of understanding about what goes on behind the scenes. I’ve been involved in horses my entire lifetime, along with a lot of other people, and we do it because we love the horses. The sport has a fantastic event in August called National Racehorse Week, where the public can come to visit training yards for free and meet the racehorses and people who look after them.
The biggest misconception about my role is… that jockeys must be seriously tough and resilient. The falls and injuries that go with the job aren’t easy to bounce back from. Jockeys require a very high level of strength and fitness.
It’s true that if you are shorter, you will be a bit lighter… which will make life easier as a jockey. I’m 5ft 7in.
Asta La Pasta ridden by Harry Skelton. Pic: PA
When choosing a horse… I always like to see a good head carriage and good, strong ears.
If I could change one thing about the industry… I would change the amount of jump racing through the summer, which would allow for more downtime.
Read more from this series:
What it’s really like to be a… driving instructor
What it’s really like to be a… butcher
What it’s really like to be a…teacher
Winning sponsorship deals is… ultra-competitive, and I now have someone who helps me with that sort of stuff. There are lots of generous sponsors who want to get involved in the sport and when they come knocking, you greet them with open arms.
It’s a very big family in the weighing room… and we really look out for one another. We also travel a lot together to the races, but it is ultra-competitive. When that flag goes down and the tape goes back, you want to win – it’s sport. There are winners and there are losers, but that’s the way it is.
If I had to stop being a jockey tomorrow… I’d work more alongside my brother, training horses.
