Who was your hero in racing and who most you when growing up? Christopher Farnhill
My hero was Sir Gordon Richards. He was an unbelievable jockey, it was hard to explain just how good he was to people who had never seen him. He had incredible strength, he was a colossus.
I've often seen you at Garthorpe - which is your favourite point-to-point track and why? Zena Oliver
I do like Garthorpe, its well maintained and you do get good ground there but my point-to-point is as good you know.
It's at Sheriff Hutton in the second week of January, and we raise a lot of money for the Yorkshire Air about £12,000
I'm very proud of it.
Would you apply to be a pundit for ITV Racing next year? At least we would hear your honest opinions. Alfred Sutton
No, not interested in that. I couldn't be bothered with it all.
What's your best chance of a winner at next week's Ebor meeting? Stuart Dale
I won't have a winner, I don't have a horse good enough. I'll probably just have two runners.
Very remote I'd say my were.
If you were appointed to lead the BHA what would be the first thing you would change about racing? Glenn Liddell
Oh, I don't think that would be a good idea. I'd fall out with everyone, there'd be a lot of rowing about everything.
One thing that does need changing is the prize-money at the bottom end because there isn't enough, it's ridiculous.
A lot of of racecourses would do to take a leaf out of Musselburgh's book see how they do things there, because that racecourse is a different class. Other racecourses could do a lot more with prize-money considering money they get from media rights and whatnot.
Who is the most difficult horse you have trained to win races and how did you overcome the problems?
David Ince
One of the most difficult I've had is one I have now - Hoofalong. Everything's been difficult with him, getting him into the stalls, you name it. I used to break-in horses for a living so I'm used to difficult ones, but it took a long, long time to get him straight, coming on for a year. It was his mind that was wrong, and I kept working away at him - I wasn't brought up to be idle, you know - but it was a terrible struggle. I must have had thousands of horses, tens of thousands, but he might be the worst. Having him gelded was a big step in the right direction - before he was cut he'd near kill you, he'd had my jacket off me, he'd take the shirt too.
What's the best touch you have ever set up? Ian McKean
I'm a very poor punter, really - I'm always going to have a touch on something and then I back out of it. A long time ago I was going to have a big bet on Lochnager - his second run as a three-year-old, an apprentice race at Haydock, I thought he was a certainty. I was going to have £5,000 on him, which was a lot of money back then, but I bottled out and only had on £200. He won by half the track at 4-1 - he'd been a bigger price but the word got out, as it always does, and everyone pinched the price. I think Peter O'Sullevan had a lot of it. You can't help word getting out because that's part of the fun of horseracing, people talking about things over a pint with a few pals. And all jockeys talk about what they've been riding on the gallops. Trainers shouldn't bet really, because if the horse loses they end up talking through their pocket too much, or start doing the wrong things with a horse. Bet a little, not a lot - there's too much downside.
When are you going to retire and let your son David take over? Lee Mattocks
I've asked David to take over but he says he doesn't want to - he thinks if he takes over I'll live longer! One thing I'll tell you that's the truth - never sell 'I've asked David to take over but he says he doesn't want to - he thinks if he takes over I'll live longer!' your boots. When you've got nothing to do, that's it, you're finished. I've seen it happen before, someone younger takes over and the old man is out on his arse. No, never sell your boots, keep going until you drop. That's what I'm going to do.
When buying a horse, what is the main thing you look for and why? Ed Wilczynski
I look at the individual. The shape and make of a horse is everything - if it's a good individual you'll see it straight away, and the first look you take is the best. Go back for a second look and it's not the same. If I like the horse then of course the pedigree is important, but it's nearly impossible to buy horses who look good and have a great pedigree, they're too expensive.
Do you still rate Beverley racecourse ice-cream as the best in the country? Danny Chapman
Oh, there's no doubt about Beverley's ice-cream being the best. How do I know that? My cousin sells it and I get it for nothing!
Was Mark Johnston right when he said there was too much betting emphasis in TV coverage of racing? Bob Hall
Oh, aye, all they bloody talk about is the betting, it's getting ridiculous. But I can see both sides of this one, because the people on the television are only out to make a living same as everyone else, but they do make far too much song and dance about it, ooh, there's money for this, ooh, there's money for that. I know that it upsets owners, and that's one group of people we shouldn't upset.
What first got you into racing and wanting to be a trainer? Alex Scott
I didn't know anything else. I was brought up in the hunting field from about the age of six, worked my way up to riding point-to-pointers - I loved doing that. Only thing was I had to take about a stone off each time I rode - that was purgatory. I remember my first ride under National Hunt rules, must have been 17. My Uncle Walter put me on a horse in an amateurs' race at Wetherby, so I had to get the weight off, lost about a stone. I ran for miles, sat round the fire wrapped up in horse blankets, had hot baths and poured a couple of bottles of liquid paraffin down my neck. Sick? You bet. Anyway, there I was at Wetherby putting the colours on when my uncle marched into the weighing room and said 'Straker's horse doesn't run now, so he'll ride this one, not you. You can lead it up'. So Straker rode the horse, pulled up at halfway, and then my uncle said he didn't have a horsebox, so I had to ride it bare-back ten miles back to his house at Tadcaster. It wasn't what I'd expected of the day, I can tell you. I always wanted to be a trainer. It's a vocation, not a job, you're in a little bubble and the world goes past and you don't notice it. You have to give it everything, you can't half-do it, you have to put it all in. Do I enjoy it? I love it.
What do you most like about North Yorkshire? Keith Darby
It's heaven - I'm still alive and I'm already there! It's got everything, great views, wonderful countryside, lovely people. We use all local people for what we need, it's a nice community around here. I've never wanted to live anywhere else.
What magic did you work to get Hoof It back on track? Dave Rickett
Poor old Hoof It, he must have had five operations in his life. He's had the virus, went wrong in his wind and had a tie-back, was knocked for six by the rapeseed, had chips in his knees - but he's bounced back each and every time. He is such a tough horse, I can't believe how tough he's been. He goes out on his own - he gets a bit stirred up when something comes alongside him - but despite all that's happened to him he loves life, really enjoys himself. It's his toughness that's got him back on track and he'll win again, I'm sure of it.
What's the one TV programme you try never to miss? Simon Silver
Dragon's Den. I love that, it's great entertainment. I'd like to be on the panel.
Who is the best Flat horse you've trained? William Foster
Mrs McArdy won me a 1,000 Guineas, she was brilliant. I bought her from Lord Grimthorpe and throughout her career he followed her as if she was his own, never once said he regretted selling her, the man was a gentleman, a very good sport. And Lochnager [1976 champion sprinter] had everything. He was a huge horse, a mountain of a horse, but when he was running he was unbelievable, he had so much toe. Edward Hide got on very well with him; I remember when he won the July Cup he slipped the field and they couldn't catch him. I can close my eyes and see it now.
How good is Carlton Frankie and when can we expect to see her again? Richard Wilson
Carlton Frankie shaped very well in the spring but then she had a problem with a knee, had a chip in there so I had to stop with her. She's okay now, is back in work, and she'll probably be ready for a run in about eight weeks. You'll certainly see her again this year.
Which horse trained by your brother would you most like to have trained? Joey Lucas
Sea Pigeon. Or maybe Night Nurse. Either would do, really, wouldn't they?
Do you have any regrets, either regarding a horse or something else about the training game? Sally Potter
[Thinks long and hard] No. No regrets whatsoever. I'm a very lucky man, I've been lucky with everything in life, and I've got my Alice, my lovely wife. When I call her my lovely wife she tells me not to be so stupid. And anyway, there's no point in looking back, is there?
Is there one particular race you'd love to win before you retire? Dominic Foote
The Gimcrack Stakes. I won it with 'I have no regrets whatsoever. I'm a very lucky man, I've been lucky with everything in life' Wiganthorpe [1986] and I'd like to win it again because it's a big race and it's a local race. I won't win it this year but hopefully there's still time.
You're having a great season - is there any reason for the yard's good form or is it just one of those things? Ellie Bartholomew
We are having a good season. I think we know so little about what can make a horse unhealthy - I'm talking about 'the virus' - and we never seem to be able to get to the bottom of it. The only thing to do is leave them be, and eventually they'll come right. Another thing is the flu jabs the vets give them - they're the worst thing going. Obviously they get a very mild dose of flu but we might not notice, and so we keep training them, keep working them hard, and it can affect them. If they actually had the flu I could leave them off for three weeks and let them get over it naturally, and they wouldn't be galloping through it. This year, though, we've been clean, virus-free, it's amazing. And all the horses are running well.
Do you have a party trick? What is it? Calum James
I love a party - I'd party every night. I like people, I enjoy being in company. Once in a while we go to Silvano's in York and have a 'wild duck evening', we shoot the duck here, take them in and have them cooked, and then we have a sing-song. After a few pints I think I can sing, and when I sing it's probably going to be 'Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me A Bow-Wow'.
What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given? Ryan Pierce
The best advice I was given was 'let your eye be the judge, and let your pocket be the guide'. You don't need to spend too much to have a good time, 'Training is overrated - trainers get too much credit because it's easier than you think' although a lot of people think you do. I don't believe in that - it's not all about money.
If you had a horse in training, who would you like to have it trained by and why? Phil Johnson
You might be surprised but I'd want to keep it in the family - either my nephew Tim or my granddaughter Jacqueline. I'd get a lot of pleasure out of that. You know, I think training is overrated - trainers get too much credit because it's easier than you think.
What you need is a good horse, because no-one can train a bad horse. There isn't as much skill involved as people think, and I'm 100 per cent convinced of that. The trainers who are the best talkers are the ones with the most horses. I've known some very good lads who couldn't sell themselves enough, and they never got the horses. A very big part of being a good trainer is being a good salesman.
If there was a film made of your life, who would you like to play you? Chris McKay
Me. I'd want to do it myself. No-one else would get me quite right.
Are you going to write an autobiography, or would the lawyers never let you? Moira Seed
I have considered writing an autobiography, but that's as far as I've got. If someone would pay me £1 million to put pen to paper then that would get me started. Especially if the money was up front. I'd have quite a lot to put in it - it would be a very exciting read, and I'm sure some people wouldn't like what they read.
