Weekly exclusive with former jockey and aspiring trainer Brian Toomey

“I don’t want it to sound like I’m getting soft especially because I’m not a jockey anymore but one thing that gets to me a little is the cold weather and the hard frost we get hit with this time of year, effecting the mood of horse and rider”

I reckon, it’s tough to see a horse that looks cold, when you compare a professional athlete to a racehorse the difference is a human can express how cold they are and warm themselves up ,where as a horse is unable to I guess they are hoping someone reads their mind.

The cold does not help the aches and pains we may have if anything it tends to make it all a lot worse, there is no better feeling when you pull a horse out if their stable before exercise after removing whatever rugs they may have on and they seem very bright, bubbly and enthusiastic this genuinely seems to happen a lot more in the warmth.

A horse that may look like he or she is feeling sorry for themselves would be in no doubt harder to train, some trainers really concentrate on this but this but keeping horses warm and healthy is definitely something I feel is very important and my aim is to really concentrate on this when I get set up as a trainer.

Another thing I’ve noticed especially lately when I’m taken a big interest into the form of horses etc. is “race times” i genuinely feel especially live on air/TV the exact time of a race is not published so much and made specific , it’s obviously there if you go look for it or in the RP the next day but I think this could be a way of attracting a wider audience to racing and may help the less experienced viewers to have more of interest or understanding of a race not just the betting perspective.

Follow Toomey on twitter - @Briantoomey15