And then there is the task of losing weight an keeping it off. Jockeys do not enjoy the most pleasant diets, but they work. Woe betide the Grand National jockey who turns up on the day a few pounds overweight; he won't be asked to ride for that trainer again.
Before my diet, I weighed in at 17 stone. My clothes were too tight, I was short of breath and uncomfortable in my own skin.
The situation was not helped by my wife, Rose, one of the best cooks around, who constantly overfed me. Spurred on by my natural gluttony and my deft hand on the bottle, dietary matters were looking bad.
It was early spring when I set myself a nine-month target to weigh less than 12 stone. Now, jockeys do all sorts of things to lose weight. In the old days, they used diuretics to shed water weight, but these are now banned. Today they use sauna baths, a great deal of exercise and laxatives to get the same result.
To begin with, my diet was not so extreme. I cut out potatoes, bread, pasta, and cut down on cheese, milk and cream. Unwisely, I carried on drinking alcohol.
Unsurprisingly, by August I had shed little more than a stone. Drastic action was called for but, with just three months to go, had I left it too late?
Rose and I configured a diet fit for a racehorse and an exercise regime for one, too.
Breakfast was oats, crushed barley, linseed and raisins soaked overnight; lunch was a salad and maybe a piece of fish. In the evening, we'd have lentils, pearl barley or quinoa with a piece of chicken, steak or game, followed by a small salad.
And there was some variety allowed, plenty of fresh vegetables but little fresh fruit; even natural fruit sugars do not help if you have to lose weight quickly, and they also increase your appetite. Alcohol consumption was now confined to weekends. Finally, the pounds began to fall away fast.
I exercised my dog, Bill, in the park. He ran beside me while I cycled; we sometimes did four miles, but usually two. I swam lengths at the local swimming baths three times a week and I sat in saunas for hours, which I loved (although it can leave you dehydrated).
The exercise made me feel good. Alcohol went out completely and, despite having been advised against jogging due to potential knee damage, I ran.
The last few weeks before my race were the most difficult. I weighed myself three times a day and ate mainly vegetables, salads and pulses in small amounts. Portion control was the key.
An extra spoonful made all the difference the next day. On the morning of my race, I weighed 11 stone 6lb, and felt great. I was going to get to the racetrack on time and at the right weight.
But be warned. Although I can guarantee the jockey diet works, it is only suitable for someone in good health, and the weight is very easy to put back on.
I recently returned from a health check-up (all well, as you ask), where I was horrified by the weigh-in. I'm not back to 17 stone ? or near it ? but neither am I the fighting weight I was.
Twenty-one years ago, this paper's racing correspondent, Marcus Armytage won the Grand National in less than nine minutes ? a record-breaking time that has still to be bettered. Together with his horse, Mr Frisk, he knocked 14 seconds off Red Rum's record. He tried again in 1996 and fell at the first fence.
Having lost a stone-and-a-half, to ride at an unnaturally light 10 stone, Armytage was too weak to hold his horse.
Bachelor's Hall careered off, over-jumped and deposited Armytage on the floor. His prostrate, starving figure lay on the course while the smell of a burger van wafted over him.
"If I had any money in my breeches," he said, "I would have bought one. By the end of the day I must have put on 10lb, I consumed so much food."
The jockey diet works, but it is a regime for a low target weight, such as you need for extreme sports, a holiday, or even to squeeze into your grandfather's old suits. Meanwhile, I am content to be somewhere between a jumbo and a jockey.
Nag's muesli
Very effective for keeping hunger away until lunchtime, while retaining energy.
Makes 4-6 helpings
100g rolled oatmeal or barley
100g malted barley or puffed wheat (unsweetened)
100g golden linseed
50g hemp seeds
4 tbsp sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds
4 tbsp raisins
4 dried figs, chopped
4 dried prunes, chopped
200ml milk (or apple juice)
100ml yogurt
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp whole hazelnuts
2 apples, grated
Milk or yogurt to serve
? Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Spread the oatmeal out on a baking tray, place in the oven and toast for 20 minutes. Leave to cool. (The oatmeal can be toasted well in advance and stored in an airtight jar).
Combine all the dry ingredients with the milk or apple juice, yogurt and honey, then leave to soak for up to an hour. Stir in the hazelnuts and apple; it will be quite thick at this stage. Serve with extra milk or yogurt.
Mountain lentils (with coriander seed, garlic and celery)
To eat every day with grilled meat or fish. As with the breakfast muesli, these braised lentils suppress the appetite.
Serves 4
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery sticks with leaves, finely chopped
3 teaspoons ground coriander seed
250g Puy or other small green lentils with blue-green speckled skins
Salt and black pepper
? Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, garlic, celery and ground coriander seed. Cook over a low heat for three minutes, then add the lentils. Cook for another two minutes, cover with water and simmer for 25?35 minutes until the lentils are just tender. Add more water if necessary, but be careful not to overcook the lentils.
When they are done, tip the contents of the pan into a bowl and add a dash of olive oil to stop the cooking process. Season with salt and pepper. Eat hot or cold. Once cooled, these lentils will keep in the fridge for three days.
'From Jumbo to Jockey' by Dominic Prince (4th Estate), is available from Telegraph Books at �10.99 + �1.25 p&p. To order, call 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk
This year's Grand National will be run on Saturday
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