I was a top jockey who made the TV news aged 16 and rode in Grand National – now I’m a chef at Cheltenham Festival

9 months ago 92

EVERY army marches on its stomach.

And the troops at Cheltenham will be fed and watered by top amateur jockey turned racecourse chef, Mark Low.

Jockey Mark Low, seen here in 1979, had a TV crew following him round aged just 16[/caption]

Our galloping gourmet has more energy than a Duracell bunny and a racing man to his core.

CHELTENHAM BETTING OFFERS – BEST FREE BET DEALS FOR THE FESTIVAL

“I grew up in a village called Mathon, which is just outside Malvern,” he said.

“My dad, Michael, had a building business and was friendly with a trainer come farmer called Gordon Price.

“Gordon and his family were famous for producing all those wonderful horses with the ‘Dove’ suffix.

“They had that cracking mare Flakey Dove who won the Champion Hurdle.

“Anyway, dad trained point-to-pointers and did quite well as a permit holder with a chap called George Jones riding.”

Meanwhile, a fresh-faced Mark was kicking-on with his own career in the saddle.

He added: “We bought a fantastic pony off Terry Biddlecombe’s family. I couldn’t hold one side of him, but he’d jump a house and really got me going.

“Around the same time dad was doing well with a horse called Norwell who he’d bought off Mick Easterby. He was my first winner — on my first ride — in point-to-points.

“I was barely old enough to ride in races at the time — I weighed 8st 2lbs dripping wet after a big breakfast.

“I needed a JCB to help me carry the saddle to the weighing room after he won!

“The publicity I got from that was crazy and my mind was set on being a jump jockey.

“So, dad sent a couple of horses to Fred Rimell — who was a legend of a trainer — and I went there to work while I was still at school.”

And Mark received a university education at Fred’s five-star academy.

“What a team they had there”, he remembers, “Terry Biddlecombe was stable jockey, Nigel Twiston-Davies rode as number one amateur and Kim Bailey was assistant trainer.

“It was a real who’s who. I had my first ride for Mr Rimell on a horse called Sir Gale at Warwick. He was odds-on and would have won by a hurdle but for me falling off at the last!

“I had three brilliant years there before moving to Michael Scudamore and then Bob Champion. I must have ridden 60 or 70 winners and was always in the top three or four amateurs.

“I had plenty of rides at the Festival and finished placed in the Champion Chase and County Hurdle. Not bad when you were competing against big guns like Oliver Sherwood, Tim Thomson Jones and Jim Wilson!”

But Mark had his day in the sun courtesy of a horse much closer to home.

He said: “My proudest moment was riding a wonderful horse of mum and dad’s called Choral Festival in the Grand National. And it was no ordinary National — this was 1981, the year of Aldaniti and all that.

“Choral was an absolute superstar and never let us down. I was ecstatic when he qualified for the National — just out of school and riding in the biggest race in the world! It’s the equivalent of a football-mad kid playing in the Cup Final.”

And Mark received some canny advice from a racing legend on the big day.

“John Francome and Steve Smith-Eccles were fantastic with me”, he recalls.

“They were my heroes, so it was unbelievable really. Anyway, I got to Aintree early and bumped into John.

“He asked if I’d walked the course. I told him I was planning to do it later. He looked me in the eye and said ‘Don’t bother . . . you’ll s**t yourself’!

“That stopped me short. But John explained if I was confident enough in my horse, I’d be best going down the inside where the drops were biggest and there would be plenty of daylight.

“A few minutes later dad came in and asked me to walk the track with him.

“John’s words were still ringing in my ears, so I told a white lie and said I’d already been round!”

And what a spin Mark had over Aintree’s big dipper fences.

“I knew Choral would jump”, he said, “so I went up the inner and had a lovely run round until he got tired. To be honest, I probably over-egged it a bit . . . but what an experience.

“I was only 17 — I think that still makes me the youngest jockey post-war to ride in the National.”

But time marches on and Mark had to hang up his breeches when opportunity stopped knocking in the late Eighties.

He said: “I had a tough couple of years trying to sort out a future for myself.

“Then one day I was shopping with my daughter Ellie when a lady I knew came up and asked how work was going.

“Things were quiet at the time, so she told me to call Warren O’Connor who is Regional Executive Chef for the Jockey Club at Cheltenham.

“He took me under his wing and taught me everything I know from peeling spuds upward. Warren’s my friend as much as my boss now and, along with Paul Holliday and Allen Townsend, has been a massive help.”

Mark completed the circle when he swapped his saddle for a steamer and started running the stable lads and lasses’ canteen at Cheltenham six years ago.

And there is no-one better qualified for the job.

He said: “When it comes to being a stable lad I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt. I know exactly what they want and love looking after them — the lads, lasses and box drivers are my gang.

“We should remember that without their hard work, there would be no racing.”

Mind you, Mark’s Cheltenham week is hardly a jolly-up in the slow lane with Mary Berry.

He said: “The Festival doesn’t start on Tuesday for me. I’ll be there as soon as the long-distance travellers arrive, cooking hot meals and making sure everyone is properly looked after.

“I start work at five in the morning and will still be there at nine at night.

“I’ll produce 600 meals a day and enjoy every second — it’s the best week of the year! The Jockey Club are wonderful people to work for and this is my passion.

“And when the long-haul runners go home, I make sure they all have a ‘grab and go’ bag to take with them.

“That’ll be a sandwich, cake, pie, crisps, bottle of pop, fruit . . . whatever they want to see them through.

“It’s serious graft. But when thank-you messages come in from the likes of Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead, every breakfast, lunch and dinner is worthwhile.”