Richard Hoiles: ‘I don’t even know who the horses are until they’re going to the start’

ITV commentator Richard Hoiles answers some quickfire questions ahead of his busiest week of the year at the Cheltenham Festival

Commentating on the Gold Cup at Cheltenham ‘was like an out-of-body experience’, says ITV commentator Richard Hoiles.

Your road to the microphone this week?

I originally qualified as an accountant. Then in the early 90s I was a young aggressive financial planning analyst in the retail sector, and it dawned on me that, because of the recession, I was going to be made redundant. Racing was my sport, and I started writing to people in racing to see if they thought I had any transferrable skills, and eventually applied for a job I saw in the Sporting Life at SIS (racecourse commentary). I was lucky enough to get the job, which still seems bizarre to this day.