The early disasters with Sir Mark Prescott and Malcolm Macdonald that show Robert Cooper wasn’t always so eminent

Robert Cooper has become a TV legend during his 41 years behind the microphone, even earning the affectionate moniker ‘Sir Bob’ in recognition of his style – but his early memories of the role have revealed he was far from eminent at that time.

Cooper was speaking to the Racing Post for an interview to mark his impending retirement and discussed his path into the sport, his unorthodox style and his plans for the future, which may or may not include cage fighting.

The 74-year-old was working in an art and architecture bookshop when he first moved into the sport, responding to an advert in the Sporting Life for a broadcaster and sportswriter to work at Mecca Bookmakers, which led to in-shop broadcasting and what eventually became SIS.

"I remember doing the trial videos with Richard Pitman," he reminisced. "We had a ticker-tape sound effect that was actually an old sewing machine that we just turned the handle on. I've still got the promo, and it looks so old now, but they were pioneer days.

"I remember sending out letters to some Newmarket trainers to do the first interviews and Sir Mark Prescott replied very formally, told me not to be late, and we went to the pub next door and completely lost the thread of what we were talking about!

"Clive Brittain used a lot of 'ers' and we had to edit it, the way you did back then, by cutting the tape with a razor blade and sticking it back together – I took all the 'ers' out and he sounded fantastic.

"I'd hate to hear them now. I bet they sound terrible."

Worse was to come when Cooper interviewed the former Newcastle, Arsenal and England striker Malcolm Macdonald when he was manager of Fulham.

“I asked him what kind of grass seed they used, because somebody in the office wanted to know," he remembered with a cringe. 

"He started off quite alert but he was so bored by the end that I thought he was going to nod off."

Early difficulties merely served to hone Cooper’s style, though, and he will retire at Yarmouth on July 30 with the good wishes of the entire racing world - not that the sport will have seen the last of him.

"I still think racing is a great day out,” he said. “I went to the Craven meeting with my brother, we had a drink, a bit of lunch, a few bets, backed a few losers and the odd winner, and had a really good time. That's what it's all about, isn't it?"

Read more from Robert Cooper 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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