'He was a copper!' - Sir Mark Prescott, a timid driver and a run-in with the law

Long journeys are a bane in the lives of many racing professionals and Sir Mark Prescott has recalled the time his impatience led to a run-in with the police – although not for him.

Prescott was speaking to the Racing Post for a major interview to mark the end of his 28-year drought at Royal Ascot in which he discusses his detailed plans for his own funeral, racing's future and social licence, and his own plans to keep going "at full whack" as long as his health allows him.

The 76-year-old also dug deep into the memory bank with tales of the past, including an ill-fated trip north with his former rider Ray Still.

"I remember we once had a runner at Carlisle, back when there were fewer motorways," he said. "You had to go racing in those days, otherwise you wouldn't see your horses run. If you weren't there anything could happen – and up north it did.

"I told Ray I would drive to Wolverhampton. Once we got there I settled down in the passenger seat for a short kip. When I looked up, we hadn't made much progress. Ray pointed to the car in front and said he had been stuck behind him for ten miles. I told Ray to get him out the way. 'How do I do that?' he asked. 'Give him a flash,' I said. Ray was so nice and only gave him a tiny little flash, which did nothing. I then told Ray to give him a hoot. He responded with a meek little beep. 'Come on, Ray, come on,' I shouted and really jammed on the horn. The driver in front still wouldn't move over.

"'Give him a bump,' I said to Ray, who didn't seem awfully keen. He did it but even that didn't work. Eventually we got to some cones, so I told Ray to nip up the car's inside. As we went by, the other driver put on his hat. He was a copper. I slipped back into the seat and said, 'You're on your own now, Ray.'"

Prescott was true to his word in that respect.

"Once he pulled us over, I pretended to be fast asleep," he said. "As Ray got back in the car, I told him he would be okay and that it was only the copper's word against his. 'The copper,' said Ray, 'is Colonel Sir Eric St Johnston, chief constable of Lancashire.' The court case came up and I ended up driving Ray for six months."

Read more from Sir Mark Prescott in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up.

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