'I knew nothing about horses when I started' - more work needed if racing is to get more Franny Norton fairytales

It was a real pleasure to catch up with Franny Norton at Lingfield this month before he announced his decision to retire at Chester on Saturday.

As well as being one of the weighing room's longest-serving jockeys, the 54-year-old is one of its biggest characters and we had a lot of ground to cover when reliving his greatest hits, from his decision not to pursue a career as a boxer to the importance of nutrition as a truly lightweight rider.

It is a shame people often wait until somebody has retired – or died – to properly celebrate their achievements but it was not surprising to see a lot of love for Norton when the news broke this week. His career had peaks and troughs but his record, particularly at Chester, speaks for itself.