Get to know the team that work behind the scenes to deliver world-class events at Epsom Downs Racecourse. For the first 'A day in the life', we took a trip down to the racecourse stables to meet Dominic Toole.
What is your role here at Epsom Downs Racecourse?
Stable Manager in the Racecourse Stables.
How long have you worked for The Jockey Club?
I’ve been here just over 4 years.
What would you say is the best thing about working for The Jockey Club?
Getting to see some of the worlds best horses and working on the best Flat race in the world.
What does a typical day at work look like to you?
Lots of mucking out in the summer as well as keeping the stable yard tidy and ready for race days.
In your opinion, who is the greatest Derby winner of all time?
That’s a tough one. The greatest in terms of what they have achieved at stud after winning the Derby would have to be Galileo. My own favourite would be Nijinsky as he went on to win the Triple Crown and was the last horse to do so.
How did your love of horseracing develop?
By chance really, I was just about to leave school with no real direction in life and some family members said I was small enough to be a jockey why don’t I give that a go. I found a local trainer and started working there the day after leaving school and within two years I was race riding as an apprentice jockey.
What one tip would you give someone that has never been horseracing before?
Go and see the horses in the Parade Ring and have a good look at them as the best ones will normally stand out from the others. Have fun and set a limit for gambling with.