10 April 2008 Pilots in Profile - Oliver Greenall
Amicelli: gave Oliver his first taste of Cheltenham glory
Oliver Greenall is the first to take the plunge, and get the ball rolling, in our new feature 'Pilots in Profile'. He is having a cracking season - with 24 wins to date, making him leader of the Gentleman's Championship, and his first Cheltenham Foxhunters' under his belt. With a strong arsenal of horses lined up - from the Easterby, Coward and Wynne yards', could this be the season that the title heads to Yorkshire?
AGE 21.
MARITAL STATUS Not married. I have a girlfriend called Gemma.
PROFESSION Student, at Askham Bryan College.
ARE YOU FROM A RACING BACKGROUND? Yes, my Father and Uncle were Champion amateur jockeys and my Father is Chairman of Aintree Racecourse.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO RIDING? Mum and Dad both ride and hunt. So I fell into it, hunting a lot in school holidays and Pony Club in the summer.
FIRST RIDE - WHEN, FOR WHOM, HORSE, COURSE, FATE? At Garnons, in a Novice Riders race, on Double Rich owned by Dad and trained by Steve Wynne. I finished third not beaten far by a good family friend Natalie Lloyd having her first winner.
WHO ARE THE MAIN TRAINERS THAT YOU RIDE FOR? I mainly ride for David Easterby and I ride out for him most mornings. I also ride for Steve Wynne and Cherry Coward.
WHERE ARE YOU BASED/LIVE? Just outside York on Mick Easterby's yard.
WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE? Mitsubishi Shogun.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT NIGHT IN & PERFECT NIGHT OUT Perfect night in - when David (Easterby) cooks a roast and a good film. Perfect night out - nice meal in York followed by the ‘Gallery'!
IF YOU WERE SUSPENDED - WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH YOURSELF? Go skiing. I used to go most years but since I started Point-to-Pointing I haven't been and would love to go.
WHO WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT TRAVELLING COMPANIONS TO THE RACES? As long as it is not Jacqueline Coward or Annabel Armitage I don't mind. As by the time you get to the races with them you are so tired from talking you can barely ride.
WHAT CD'S ARE YOU PLAYING IN YOUR CAR AT PRESENT? I got given the Live Lounge CD's for Christmas which I like; I love a bit of Fleetwood Mac and Massive Attack.
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST HEROES - IN AND OUT OF RACING? Not so much a hero but I got a lot of inspiration from Keith Shore. He is a very talented horseman who always used to make horses jump very well, good and bad ones. He sells my Father hunters and he used to teach me, I learnt a lot from him by listening and watching.
WHAT TURNS YOU ON/OFF - IN RACING & LIFE IN GENERAL? I don't like it when jockeys shout and bawl, there is no need for it and shouldn't be necessary. And I don't like seeing people beating up horses for no reason other than their own. What turns me on? - riding a nice Open horse; a 10 mile point over loads of big hedges!
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FUNNIEST INCIDENT AT THE RACES? When a load of us had money on a 33/1 shot and it won, it was a good night!
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING IN RACING - WHAT WOULD IT BE? Smaller field sizes in Maidens!
IF YOU HADN'T TAKEN UP RIDING - WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE? Travelled and maybe moved abroad to somewhere like New Zealand or Australia.
WHAT IS THE DAFTEST THING A FELLOW RIDER, AN OWNER, OR TRAINER, HAS EVER SAID TO YOU? An owner once said to me, "Why did you start off last? How were you ever going to win from there? You should always start in front!"
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BEST AND WORST RIDES YOU HAVE GIVEN A HORSE? Worst ride was at Thorpe lodge when I had just lost a horse in the previous race and dropped my horse in last, gave it far too much to do, and came with a late run finishing a close second. Then it won by 20 lengths next time out. Best ride was probably at Charm Park on a horse called Trooper Collins who isn't the easiest of rides - you have to leave everything really late. I dropped in and jumped up sides at the last and narrowly beat Jacqueline (Coward) on Charlie's Memory, I won't forget it!
DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS IN YOUR RIDING CAREER? Not really so far. I really enjoy Point-to-Pointing and riding under Rules. It is a hobby of mine which I get a lot of fun out of.
NEXT WEEK: POLLY GUNDRY
