FD: I think maybe that's something
that's been set in my mind from the
earliest days. From my parents, from
the way we live in Italy. It's a kind of
unwritten code of conduct, as you
go through life, in a way you don't
have in England. It's something set
in stone, from a young age. I don't
go out of my way to be stylish, I think
it's just part of what I have set inside
me. My dad was obviously instru-
mental in my career and was always
keen for me to have a stylish base;
after that, he said the strength and
experience would come with time.
So even when I was still weak as wa-
ter, I tried to start off with the style,
and let the rest develop around that.
One day I was beaten a short head
at Thirsk and I remember coming in
at the back of the [jockeys'] room
watching the replay. I was just flap-
ping around like some monkey on
a horse and the other jockeys were
saying: 'Look at the state of that
one in second!' And that was me.
So I thought: 'My dad's right. If I'd
got beat but looked stylish, nobody
would have said a word.'
TDN: But that's still typical of you, isn't
it – not to view a car simply a means
of getting from one place to another.
You always wanted to combine style
with substance as a rider, too. Is that
important to you, not just to get the job
but to get it done with a bit of flair?
