Apart from a few reluctant sits on a pony - and a quite a few tumbles - in my early teens, I as a non-rider not even worthy of the term novice when I went to my local riding school in October 2015.

My challenge as the overweight 52-year-old Racing Correspondent of the Daily Mail was to lose enough weight - I need to shift well over 30lbs - and become competent to ride in a Thoroughbred horserace this summer. Standard mid-life crisis stuff!!

With plenty of help, I graduated from my black and white mounts at the Riding School to sitting on racehorses for the first time at the British Racing School  in Newmarket when my coaches included Derby winning jockey Michael Hills.

I have spent time riding for jumps trainer Lucinda Russell in Scotland and am currently regularly to be found at the historic stable of trainer Geoffrey Deacon in Compton near Lambourn partnering stable stalwart Moon Trip and being helped and advised by Geoffrey and his patient staff.

A fall - well a  bad landing really - set me back and left me battered and bruised.

Without the legendary resilience of former champion jockey AP McCoy, I missed enough time in the saddle to force me to adjust my original target of the Town Plate at Newmarket in July to a charity race at Windsor on Saturday 27 August.

Hopefully, I am now back on track but I still have bags more to learn. My technique needs honing and I need to keep practising.

This is the hardest thing I have ever done and I am not even including my regular 4.45am wake-up alarms to get me out of bed and around the M25 before it gets too busy so I can make it down to Compton.

The great thing about my new race, however, is that it gives me the opportunity to raise money for HEROS (Homing Ex-Racehorses Organisation Scheme).

HEROS, formed in 2006, helps to re-train and re-home racehorses so that they can have a productive and enjoyable life when their racing days are over.

I hope you can support me in my challenge - and it truly is a challenge - and also support a charity which does such important work for the Thoroughbreds which provide us all with so much enjoyment when the race.

You find out more about HEROS by logging onto www.heroscharity.org

There is also a live auction on the day of the race plus silent auction with some fabulous prizes which can currently be viewed at http://herosraceday.auction-bid.org

Thank you

Marcus