Radio Features

Eric Smith is 16 hands high, nine years old and has no vices at all. That of course is Eric Smith the horse, not Eric Smith the breakfast presenter. They met at the thoroughbred's owner, John Smith's, stables in North Shropshire.

John explained how the horse got his name: "I call him Eric because my father was called Eric. We had to have a stable name for him so we called him Eric. His name is Laverty."

After a long career as a jockey and trainer, he left racing altogether to become an oil salesman, but after he retired his wife encouraged him to take an interest in racing again: "My wife said I was so miserable, she said 'I can't stand this any more... go and get yourself a horse'... so I did."

In his heyday John rode with the best of them: "I've ridden with Lester Piggott, Willy Carson, all the top names on the flat and jumping."

The equine Eric Smith

A ride on a horse called Civil Rights in 1959 brought an unexpected prize. The horse's owner told John if he could make the horse a winner he would be given a car.

The owner was true to his word and John received a Morris 12: "Not many people had cars then. The top speed was 45 miles an hour with your foot to the boards going downhill."

It was a hard life as John recalled: "I've been smashed up quite a few times, bones broken and had double vision odd times and what have you, but that's the job."

Now he's hoping Eric, the horse, will soon be fit enough to start training over the jumps again soon and start winning on the race track.