Trackwork means early starts for Williams ... but he loves it. Trackwork means early starts for Williams ... but he loves it. Images: Jeff Crow / Sport the Library

PAIN 

“Most jockeys ride with some kind of pain – either through general wear and tear or from a combination of falls and injuries. We’re actually very similar to the footballers – we have the same rules for drug testing, the same strict guidelines. We can take Nurophen, but we can’t take Nurophen Plus.

“It’s a choice you make. Jockeys are very tough and deserve the respect they get. The decline in numbers is evidence of how demanding and tough a sport it is. You’d be amazed how the number of jockeys has decreased in the last few years.

“I’ve got shrapnel. I’ve had a broken shoulder – it’s got a plate and seven screws in it. I’ve cracked both sides of my pelvis. Broke my leg. Got a screw in my left middle finger … But you know, at the end of it, I’ve been very lucky because I haven’t had any head or spinal injuries.”

– Graem Sims