Steve Bate

Steve Bate was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, on 21 June 1955.

He was educated at Blake School in Hednesford where, as scrum half, he played at lot rugby. The rugby teacher, noting how small Steve was, asked him what he was going to do when he left school, and suggested that he became a jockey.

Steve's dad, a massive racing fan, took him along to see Reg Hollinshead, who pointed out that because Steve was still at school, he would only be able to work at the stables at the weekends, for which he would be paid £5. When he left school in 1969, Mr Hollinshead agreed to take Steve on as an apprentice jockey. Other apprentices there included Steve Perks, Jimmy Harris, Mick Hewitt, Kevin Lewis, and Bill Lord. The main jockey was Denis Letherby.

He was given three horses to look after: he mucked them out, exercised them and took them to the races.

His first ride was on Bonsella at Nottingham on October 23 1971: his last, on Shelmore Valley at Aintree on March 31, 1973. This was a memorable day in racing history - the immortal Red Rum won the first of his three Grand Nationals. The runner-up that afternoon was the gallant Crisp. 

Later that day, struggling to do 8st 7lb on Shelmore Valley, Steve realised that his racing days were over.

He left racing in 1975. His father got him a job in a factory where he was a toolmaker. Steve hated every minute. Then, in 1979, he took a job as a GPO telephone engineer and relished working outside again.

Later, in 2017, after working for 38 years, he finally retired. He still lives in Cannock where, with his wife, he enjoys his retirement. The racing bug never left him, and the pair can often be seen at the races together.