Twice voted Horserace Writer of the Year, David Ashforth has reported on races from around the world but somehow always seems to end up at Brighton Racecourse. A horse rider himself (Radnage House riding school, Wycombe Hospital), only an absence of ability prevented him from staying on. Instead, during over 20 years with The Sporting Life and Racing Post, he commented freely on the shortcomings of professional jockeys, particularly when failing to win when selected to do so. He still believes that Joe Mercer should have won the 1978 Cambridgeshire on Claudio Nicolai.