Maude, Chris

With no racing, there was no money coming in to offset the wages.

Gradually the selective resumption of racing began easing his anxiety, though only a little.

Chris had two small children, a mortgage to pay and a business to support and said; 'I have a selfish way of thinking about this because, for me, it's not a matter of profit or loss, it's a matter of survival.'

Born 15 March, 1969, Chris is not immune from emotions; he comes from a farming background and grew up in the Hatherleigh area of Devon where the disease took root.

'Most of the blokes I went to school with are the farmers down there but they understand there is no reason for racing to stop.' he said.

Chris rode for the last time as jockey when finishing fifth in a novice chase at Leicester on Wednesday December 12 2001.

Then aged 32, he had ridden around 340 winners in his career, 56 during the 1996-97 campaign but only six in his last season.

'The good days are unlikely to come back, and it's right for me to give up now,' he said on dismounting.

He intention was to devote himself to the jockeys' valeting business he purchased a year earlier.

His memories in the saddle included wins over the Grand National fences on Indian Tonic (twice) and Young Hustler, plus the 1997 Tote Gold Trophy on Make A Stand, the 1995 Mildmay-Cazalet Chase on Deep Bramble, and the 1998 Greenalls Chase on Dom Samourai.

Ok, it may not be as glamorous as being the bloke who runs Victoria Pendleton's bath, but Chris Maude has his dream job.

For the last ten years Maude - Maudie to those in the game - has been a master valet.

"What's that?" I hear you say. Well, in the interests of extending your knowledge, I braved lashing rain, sweaty bodies and knee-deep mud to find out exactly how the former jump jockey plies his trade in the inner sanctum of the Weighing Room, effectively dressing grown men.

Maude, who rode the winners of both the Topham Trophy and Becher Chase over the Grand National fences on Indian Tonic and Young Hustler during his days in the saddle, was looking for a change of direction in 2001 after he had discovered he didn't 'bounce' when speared into the ground during a fall as well as he did when younger.

By chance John Buckingham, rider of sensational 1967 Grand National winner Foinavon and himself a valet since 1971, was looking to retire.

Maude saw this as his opportunity and bought the business, which hasn't stopped expanding since.

"I now employ four people full-time and three part-time so, including myself, we have eight valets available for jockeys such as Frankie Dettori on the Flat and AP McCoy over the jumps.

"We need to be at the track at least four hours before racing starts so, if we are doing Fakenham for example, I'll need to be on the road with the boys from 5.30am.

"We have all the kit our jockeys require for the day in the back of the van."

Stories of the untidiness among jockey's are legion - but surely not true? "Any mother will tell you about their kids, especially teenage boys, leaving their dirty clothes on the floor, lying where they threw them.

"They expect them to be whisked into a washing machine by some magical force, have them cleaned, ironed and be ready the following day - all jockeys are the same," laughs Maude. "We unload the kit from the day before and wash it - breeches, boots, saddles, goggles, tights - the lot."

'Hold on', TIGHTS? That sounds like a bit of a funny old pantomime, doesn't it?' "Oh no it doesn't," replied Maude. "Women's tights are incredibly light and do keep you warm where you need a bit of a glow. They are a necessity, but my advice is to keep them plain to avoid any funny looks."

It's Maude's responsibility to ensure his riders are wearing the correct silks and weigh out at the correct weight before they go out to ride - seven races later a pile of filthy equipment lies on the floor and the whole process starts again.

Maude's team meets up with his other van, work out which rider is racing where the following day and transfer that jockeys' equipment into the appropriate vehicle.

"We could do 14-hour days, but the facilities in most of the weighing rooms have improved out of all recognition since I started.

"But two in particular are shockers," admits the master valet.

"To name and shame they are Hereford and Worcester - they are asking top sportsmen to get changed in chicken sheds.

"Jockey's usually come to you at the beginning of their careers and stay with you. I've never had to advertise and don't have a website - I don't need one.

"The pegs where jockeys change are determined by seniority.

"Frankie Dettori has the No.1 peg on the Flat, but it might well surprise you to hear that AP McCoy isn't the No.1 over jumps. That honour goes to Jimmy McCarthy who seems to have been going since the War - although I'm not sure which one.

"I'm honestly not sure how many of the jump lads we look after, but it would be the majority.

"Of course AP is remarkable, he really is the Iron Man. All the new lads just love Paul Carberry and model their riding style on him, but he's a one-off and no one else can ride like that.

"Look at Richard 'Dickie' Johnson. He's one of the few riders to have his foot full in his irons these days, yet remains a brilliant stylist. The young kids could learn a lot from him."

The Weighing Room can be a tense place before big events, but Maude has found a way of making even the great McCoy keep the lid on his emotions.

"When AP starts to get above himself I just enlist the help of my enforcer, Ruby Walsh, to bring him down to size."

"Of the Flat guys, it's Jamie Spencer who is the one that gives me a hard time. He's always giving me stick, but he shouldn't go too far unless he wants to find some jam or something smeared into his helmet when he puts it on one day."

By the nature of the sport, tragedy through injury to it's participants is as much a part of the ritual as is triumph.

"I tied Peter Toole's cap for him at Aintree on Grand National day then watched as he took that horrific fall that left him in a coma for 25 days.

"That was the worst day, but the best was when he came into the Weighing Room at Plumpton recently to see everyone. That was the best moment this season."

One of the rituals in the daily life of Weighing Room activity is for jockeys and valets to do a - not particularly highbrow - crossword. Maude himself enjoys the bewildering suggestions to answers that the lads make.

Typically was a beauty from Barry Keniry to the question 'Which was the first country whose name begins with a U to win the World Cup.' The great Keniry thought for a moment and said "Ah! That'll be Yugoslavia, wouldn't it!" That just goes to show what Chris Maude has to put up every working day - life's hard.

In 2014, he finished joint runner-up in the Mongol Derby.

Chris Maude 

Big winners:

1993: Becher Chase – Indian Tonic 

1994: John Hughes Memorial Chase – Indian Tonic 

1995: Mildmay-Cazalet Memorial Chase – Deep Bramble 

1995: Becher Chase – Young Hustler 

1997: Tote Gold Trophy – Make A Stand  

1998: Greenall’s Handicap Chase – Don Samourai