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SCOTTISH politics is the centre of the world for many people, including a lot of the 1,700 or so folk who turned up at Glasgow’s SEC venue this weekend.

Sir Keir Starmer was there yesterday, closing a Scottish Labour conference where bigwigs were frankly in a bit of a daze after the ups — and now the downs — of the past year.

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Scottish Labour saviour now a Keir and present danger[/caption]

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Starmer was the future seven months ago, but he alre­ady looks like yesterday’s man says Musson[/caption]

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There’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it, he adds[/caption]

Andrew Barr

The Scottish Sun’s Chris Musson thinks the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.[/caption]

But as important as Scots leader Anas Sarwar’s plight may be — he has a Holyrood election to fight next year — the PM has bigger fish to fry than dealing with the woes of the Scotland wing of his party.

Quite apart from the UK economic turmoil, recent events and Donald Trump’s wild attacks on Volodymyr Zelensky have threatened to upend world order and security.

A big section of Starmer’s speech focused on Ukraine, ahead of a big week for the PM. He flies to Europe and to Washington this week for talks on Russia, including with Trump.

Frankly, he could have done without a trip to a rainy Clydeside to read out some words written for him on quite a few subjects he has little intricate knowledge of.

That was evident in the press “huddle” after the speech — an off-camera quizzing by reporters — where Mr Sarwar stood dutifully by Starmer, ready to jump in if questions got heavy on Scots details.

That happened twice, on Grangemouth and polling.

People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it

Chris Musson

On public opinion, Starmer insisted that he didn’t get up every day and “rummage” through polls. A nice line, but it’s only true because he has someone to do that for him.

And looking at public opinion — and what the PM has on his plate — now seems to be a mutually convenient point in time for Scottish Labour and Keir to take a break from each other.

According to YouGov, his popularity rating — the balance between those with a positive and negative view — has gone from -14 in August to -40 now.

A poll out yesterday asked people if the actions of Starmer or Sarwar had more influence on them when considering how they’d vote in the 2026 election. More than twice as many said Starmer.

Conference fringe discussions were peppered with questions to Labour panellists about how to counter this Starmer drag.

Because a year ago, he was an asset to his party in Scotland, and received a rapturous response at the Scottish Labour gathering.

Twelve months later, he was in the same venue, on the same stage, saying many of the same things. But the hall wasn’t even nearly full.

The applause may have been warm, but many Scottish Labour figures are only too aware that the asset has become a liability — a danger to their hopes — in the eyes of many who voted for them last July.

It’s hard to believe it’s only been seven months, given how much bad news the new UK Government has managed to squeeze in.

Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he alre­ady looks like yesterday’s man

Chris Musson

Winter fuel payments, increasing employer’s National Insurance after pledging no tax hikes, refusing to honour promises to compensate Waspi pensioner women.

Inflation is up, GB Energy has been created and, despite the PM tying it directly to cutting energy prices, the company’s chair had said that’s not its job.

Starmer pointed to some of his popular policies yesterday, such as the increase in the national living wage, or boosting workers’ rights.
But they’ve been drowned out amid the noise. And the big problem is that big promise: Change.

There was the small print during the election campaign, of course. It would take time. Things would get worse before they would get better. But who reads the small print?

Above all, Labour underestimated people’s impatience Having seen what they think is the same old story, they have drifted to Reform UK or back to the SNP.

Sarwar and Scottish Labour may have flattered themselves into thinking they made a significant difference at the General Election and weren’t just hanging on the coattails of the UK party.

But greater forces are at play, notably the story unfolding at Westminster.

There is, however, a captivating story to be told about Scotland, and about the SNP’s failures after nearly 18 years in government — 19 by the time of next year’s election.

Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus to that. Indeed, Starmer made a start yesterday, as did Sarwar in his speech on Friday.

The SNP want the 2026 election to be as a verdict on Starmer.
Scottish Labour needs to turn the focus back to the SNP.

People still want change, they no longer think that guy who appeared on stage yesterday is the man to deliver it.

The good news for Scottish Labour is that, as the last year has shown, voters can change their minds very quickly.

There’s still the chance of a bright tomorrow for Sarwar, but he has to grasp it.

Starmer was the future just seven months ago, but he alre­ady looks like yesterday’s man.

Over the next year at least, Starmer will be judged on his first year as much as anything else. That period is also crucial to Scottish Labour.

So he should go off and fry those bigger fish. Perhaps he’ll come back stronger.

For now, he and his Scottish party are better off apart.

HAVING your thermostat in the wrong place could be needlessly driving up your energy bills by hundreds of pounds.

The average household on the Ofgem price cap is forking out £1,738 a year on gas and electric, and prices are predicted to go up in April.

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Having your thermostat in the wrong place could be driving up bills needlessly[/caption]

Should the price cap rise again this Spring, it will mean houses have been hit with three consecutive hikes since last October.

Luckily, there are ways you can drive down costs now, starting with putting your thermostat in the right place.

Thermostats work by detecting the warmth of a room, switching on when the temperature drops below a certain amount.

But have yours in the wrong room or part of your property and it will get an inaccurate reading and could turn on when you don’t need it to.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Deciding where to place your thermostat is important because it can affect how well your heating works.

“Placing it in a room that is colder than the rest of the house, such as a hallway, is a bad idea as it will turn on and off at the wrong times.

“For example, if you open the front door and let in cold air, then the thermostat may tell your heating system to send out more heat as it thinks the whole house is below your desired temperature.”

It’s not just your hallway you’ll want to avoid having your thermostat in – avoid warm spots at all costs too so you can keep toasty.

Ben added: “Having a thermostat near to a radiator, window or in direct sunlight will also skew the readings.

“These spots are warmer, so the thermostat may switch off before the whole space has been heated to the target temperature.”

Where should you actually put it though? The room that you use the most, most likely your living room, Ben explained.

“This is where it’s easiest to control the temperature, and in an area of good airflow.”

It’s not just the location of the thermostat that’s key if you want to lower your energy bills either.

Having it at the right temperature could save you an extra couple of hundreds of pounds.

Ben explained: “The Energy Saving Trust recommends heating your home to between 18 to 21 degrees Celsius during winter.

“Turning down your thermostat by just one degree can reduce your energy bill by up to 10%.”

How else to save money on energy bills

Turning down the flow temperature of your boiler could save you around £325 a year.

Ian Palmer-Smith, supplier and heating service director at Domestic & General, told The Sun many combi boilers come with this temperature set wrong.

The boiler heating flow temperature should be about 70 degrees and the water side flow temperature roughly 60.

Dial them down in seconds and watch your energy bills drop.

Putting furniture like sofas in front of radiators will drive up your energy bills too.

Instead, make sure any upholstery is a few centimetres away so any hot air can flow freely throughout the room.

You could try using reflective foil on your radiators too.

These sheets reflects heat back into the room and limit the amount that can escape outside.

What is happening with energy bills?

Around 26million households on Ofgem‘s price cap have seen their energy bills rise in recent months.

The price cap, which changes every three months, affects those on standard variable tariffs (SVTs) but not if you’re on a fixed deal.

The current cap means the average household on a dual-fuel tariff is paying £1,738 a year for their gas and electricity.

You may be paying more or less than this based on your usage as the cap just sets a limit on what energy suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity.

Cornwall Insight, which is usually accurate in its predictions, has forecast the price cap to go up to £1,823 a year from April.

Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said it is predicting the cap to rise due to the cost of wholesale gas in Europe spiking.

Ofgem will officially announce the price cap for April to June by February 25.

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.

IT has been a difficult year so far for retail and that trend is set to continue as more shops will shut their doors in March.

Shoppers have watched as many of their favourite chains have abandoned the high street in recent years.

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Major retailers, including Greggs and New Look, are leaving the high street[/caption]

With changes to employment costs set to come into force in April it seems unlikely that this year will be any different.

Several major retailers have warned that the increase to employer National Insurance rates and minimum wage will force them to put up prices and abandon plans for expansion.

The British Retail Consortium has estimated that the Treasury’s hike in employer National Insurance Contributions from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.

The increases come at a time when the high street is already struggling.

Major shops have recorded months of reduced footfall and have seen less money land in their tills due to the cost of living crisis.

As costs have risen customers have been forced to cut back their retail spending.

Meanwhile, increases in rent and bills have forced several chains to restructure and close locations.

This year has already seen some high profile names including Monki and The Entertainer close stores.

Other retailers may shut shops as they have a similar store nearby that is performing better or they may want to move to a location where they will have a higher footfall.

Here are all the shops we know are closing stores in March 2025.

Trespass

Trespass will close its store at Highcross shopping centre, Leicester, for good on March 31.

It is not known why the shop is shutting.

The store has launched a closing-down sale with items on offer for up to 60% off. 

The news comes just weeks after Trespass announced its branch at the Hillstree Shopping Centre, Middlesbrough, would shut.

Yellow and black signs which read “everything must go” have been posted on the store’s windows.

The Middlesborough store was opened less than two years ago.

The outdoor clothing specialist, which has 300 stores, announced it would axe six sites from its estate in July 2023.

The closure of branches in Norwich and Sutton Coldfield followed.

New Look

Fashion chain New Look will close several of its stores this month as it significantly reduces its store footprint.

The popular fashion chain will close its branch at the Team Valley Retail World in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, on March 9.

Its St Austell store in Cornwall will close on March 4.

The chain has already shut stores in the Carillon Court Shopping Centre in Loughborough, Essex, and Porth in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The news comes after reports emerged that the fashion retailer is accelerating plans to close nearly 100 stores, following challenges linked to the tax changes announced in the Autumn Budget.

Approximately a quarter of the retailer’s 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire. 

This is equal to about 91 stores, which will have a significant impact on its 8,000 strong workforce.

New Look has also announced that it is winding up its business in the Republic of Ireland.

The fashion chain has 26 stores in the republic and employs 347 people, of whom 32 are full-time.

WHSmith

WHSmith is set to close a store in Accrington, Lancashire on March 15.

The popular store is set to shut due to its lease expiring.

WHSmith has already shut stores in Bolton, Bournemouth and Boscombe in recent weeks.

The company said it was disappointed to be pulling out of Bolton town centre.

The popular store shut due to redevelopment plans, according to bosses.

The stationery chain has also earmarked shops in Essex, West Midlands, Norfolk, Newport and Suffolk for closure next month.

WHSmith is actively seeking to offload its high street estate in order to focus on its fast-growing travel business of shops in airports and train stations.

It has over 1,100 stores across the UK, including over 520 high street shops.

It is working with advisers at Greenhill Investment Boutique.

It is hoped that a deal can be reached within three months, according to sources.

Investors have not wanted WHSmith to spend any more money on its high street arm, which has no real growth prospects.

Scope

Disability charity Scope is considering shuttering 77 of its 138 shops.

Last month the charity’s bosses said the difficult decision is being considered in light of declining footfall on high streets and spiralling costs.

Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said: “Despite our teams’ best efforts our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too.

“We will be putting forward proposals to close some of our shops, in stages, over the next 18 months.”

Under the proposal the first 41 shops could close by March 31.

A further 31 shops would close between April 1 and March 31, 2026.

The final phase of five more shops would close when leases came up for renewal or when there is a break.

Select Fashion

Select Fashion has begun to close a dozen stores, with the majority of shops impacted in the North East of England. 

The 12 stores are set to close in February and March in the following locations: 

• Merthyr Tydfil – March
• Wellingborough – March 15
• Southshields – TBC
• Peterlee – TBC
• Thornaby – TBC
• Hartlepool – TBC
• Scarborough – TBC
• Hull Hessle – TBC
• Hull St Stephens – TBC
• Ashington – TBC
• Scunthorpe – TBC
• Chippenham – TBC

It has already shuttered branches in Wolverhampton and Kidderminster in January.

The British fashion brand – which has 105 stores – fell into administration in 2019.

At the time, the retailer blamed tough high street conditions and was later bought out of administration by Genus UK Limited.

But it entered into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) last summer.

A CVA is a way for a company to restructure by negotiating its debts, such as cutting rent costs with landlords.

It is a common way for struggling businesses to try and stay afloat.

Chains including Caffe Nero and The Body Shop have previously entered into one.

Greggs

Bakery chain Greggs is set to pull down the shutters of one of its Cambridge stores for the last time on March 31.

The shop is set to shut as part of the Greggs estate strategy, which will see the chain open more stores this year.

It already has over 2,500 shops across the UK including 500 with franchise partners such as petrol stations.

Staff at the Cambridgeshire shop will be relocated to nearby branches where possible.

The nearest shop is located in Station Square.

The Cambridge store is not the first Greggs shop to shut this year.

A Greggs store in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, closed for good on January 18.

The branch reportedly closed due to a dispute over rent, according to the Bucks Free Press.

Meanwhile, a Greggs shop on Foleshill Road, Coventry, shut forever on January 4.

Dobbies

Dobbies garden centre has confirmed a second wave of closures across the UK.

The news comes after the gardening specialist closed 16 stores as part of a restructuring plan late last year.

Locations impacted in this round of closures include stores in Havant, Aylesbury and Northampton.

At least three more sites are now set to close over the coming months.

Its branch in Northampton will be taken over by British Garden Centres, a family-run business.

Action is expected to be completed by March.

Closure dates for the Northampton and Aylesbury stores have not yet been confirmed.

The news comes after a restructuring plan was given the go ahead by the courts in December last year.

The retailer shut a total of ten larger sites as part of the plans, with two stores confirmed to be taken over by other gardening chains.

At its peak Dobbies was the biggest garden centre operator in the UK and had up to 77 stores.

Craigdon Mountain Sports

Craigdon Mountain Sports will shutter its branch in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire at the end of March.

The outdoor shop sells footwear, snow gear, bags and accessories.

The reason for the closure is not yet known.

The independent company, which also has stores in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, has launched a huge closing down sale as it attempts to shift its remaining stock.

The business said “many” of the Inverurie store staff will be transferred to its Aberdeen site and its website remains operational.

IT was great to see Scotland’s salmon farming hitting the headlines recently with a couple of good news stories.

Scottish salmon continues to be Britain’s most popular food export, and not only that — export sales rose a huge 45 per cent last year, equating to £844million.

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Salmon farming is booming but still faces pressures[/caption]

Andrew Barr - The Sun Glasgow

Shaf Rasul says its great to see good news stories about Scotland’s salmon farming[/caption]

This was attributed to a rise in demand from Asian markets.

It really makes me proud that our country is a world-class producer of some of the most in-demand products, beating, for example, British beef and Cheddar cheese.

With that in mind, what better time to not only grow your salmon farming business, but combine it with another of our highest grossing industries — tourism.

Mowi, which already has 48 fish farms in Scotland and is a big employer within the sector, has bought two uninhabited Scots islands with plans to utilise them for salmon farming, while also harnessing their tourism potential.

The first island, Sanda, located in the Firth of Clyde, has been inhabited in the past and is already established as a tourist hotspot due to its resident seabirds.

‘Mystical and romantic’

Meanwhile, the second island, Fladda Chuain — the Isle of Perpetual Youth in Irish mythology — is positioned just north of Skye, which will stand it in good stead to capitalise on Skye’s Fairy Pools visitors.

The island, which was described as “mystical and romantic” when it went up for sale in July last year, offers views of Skye’s dramatic mountains and the picturesque Outer Hebrides — so it sounds like a perfect investment.

Plans for Sanda include refurbishing its existing hotel and accommodation and establishing yacht moorings.

There’s also potential for rewilding and nature enhancement projects.

When announcing the venture, Mowi said it had already established successful salmon farms on Rum, Muck and Colonsay, which have had wider benefits for the island communities through improved infrastructure, which helps to retain and attract people.

There’s a real gem of an opportunity here to combine two of Scotland’s industry giants.

And if it’s a success, is it perhaps something that could work for other uninhabited islands on our west coast?

The salmon industry isn’t without its controversies however, and as these good news stories hit Scots media, so did further calls to reform salmon farming regulation.

A report from the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has called for urgent reform due to concerns about the industry’s long-term viability and its impact on our populations of wild fish.

Coinciding with this, we’ve also seen charity WildFish campaigning for better transparency as it says consumers can be potentially misled over the origins and welfare of salmon.

It’s calling for the immediate disclosure of salmon farm inspection records from the Soil Association, which has certified a number of salmon farms as “organic”.

The charity wants clarification on why they have been deemed to be organic, as WildFish believes Scottish salmon farming does not follow the founding organic principles of the Soil Association.

With these things in mind, it’s fair to say that the industry is under intense scrutiny and pressure.

But I’m sure many people will agree that the industries we champion shouldn’t just be profitable, but should be sustainable and ethical, too.

Therefore, it’s important practices are examined.

Scottish salmon is such vital produce for our economy, the Holyrood Government must ensure its future by implementing the regulation reforms to help protect our wild fish and coastal eco-systems, while putting fair parameters in place to ensure we don’t scare away potential investment.

Perhaps Mowi’s islands will help shape the direction in which the industry flows, by looking at the bigger picture of helping not just the salmon farming industry to thrive, but also our island communities and their ecosystems, and opening up more areas of our beautiful country to visitors.

Is this fish farming utopia achievable, or are there too many opposing agendas for it to work?

Let’s watch this space.

I may even pay a little visit to Sanda and Fladda Chuain myself once they’re up and running as our latest tourist spots.

PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed Ukrainians for their “bravery and sacrifice” to mark three years since Vladimir Putin invaded.

The valiant leader shared a patriotic clip of brave soldiers fighting the invading Russians and civilians pulling together to save their country.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed ‘bravery and sacrifice’ of the Ukrainian people[/caption]

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Ukrainians have fought back against the Russian Army[/caption]

Zelensky said: “Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians. I am proud of Ukraine!

“I thank everyone who defends and supports it. Everyone who works for Ukraine.

“And may the memory of all those who gave their lives for our state and people be eternal.”

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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AS THE excitement for the Champions League knockouts intensifies, a new football puzzle is putting even the sharpest eyes to the test.

Created by Live Football Tickets, this brainteaser challenges fans to find a hidden football trophy in a cluttered locker room, and it’s proving trickier than expected.

LIVE FOOTBALL TICKETS

Can you spot the trophy hidden in this locker room in 58 seconds or less?[/caption]

On average, it takes 58 seconds to spot the trophy. 

Think you can do it faster? Give it a go and see if you can beat the clock!

But did you know that solving optical illusions is a great way of training your brain and improving creative thinking?

Brainteasers are purposefully designed to trick our vision and can be used as simple determiners of intelligence.

So you might want to try The Sun’s wide range of optical illusions created to stimulate the deepest parts of your brain.

The answer to our original puzzle is coming up, as well as some more challenging tasks to try.

In this mind-bending image, everyone can count the ducks but if you can find the hidden needle among the reeds in less than seven seconds you may have 20/20 vision.

Another tricky brainteaser features a gnarled tree but only those with high IQ can spot a sleepy cat hiding on it.

If that’s still not hard enough for you, then have a go at spotting the hidden broom amongst the clothes in less than five seconds.

Or you can have a go at figuring out the hidden message in this band’s cover art that has confused fans for years.

Lastly, puzzle fanatics have been left scratching their heads trying to find the lost feather in just 12 seconds.

Coming back to our challenge – were you able to solve the mind-bending optical illusion?

If you are still scratching your head trying to figure out the confusing picture, we’ve marked the solution for you – scroll down to find it.

Live Football Tickets

Eagle eyed viewers will find the answer is actually hidden in the poster[/caption]

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Can you spot the heart-shaped nose on the cat?[/caption]

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Can you spot the mistake in this serene scene?[/caption]

LA Travel

Spot the hidden match tickets in less than nine seconds[/caption]

SpinGenie

The cat you are looking for is highlighted in the heart[/caption]

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The river isn’t flowing on the other side of the bridge[/caption]

GERMANY’S conservatives have won a historic election after beating out the far-right AfD party.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) were heavily backed by international voices – including Elon Musk and US VP JD Vance – and managed to take second place after making their biggest gains since World War II.

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Conservative leader Friedrich Merz is most likely to become Germany’s next chancellor after his CDU/CSU bloc came out on top in the election[/caption]

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Merz celebrating the election result around his team[/caption]

Current Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democratic Party (SPD) collapsed to a dismal third place with the outspoken leader set to be ousted from his role shortly.

Preliminary results of the official election show Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union took 28.5 per cent of the vote in first place.

The AfD won a record 20.8 per cent in second – securing its best result in a federal election since it formed in 2013.

Scholz’s SPD managed just 16.4 per cent of the vote in what turned out to be the parties worst result in the post-war era.

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Merz speaking in Berlin on Sunday night[/caption]

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was left in third place[/caption]

OUR 25-year-old girl groom has been working in national hunt racing stables since she left school at 16.

She’s worked in both big and small yards and while the horses are treated like royalty, the trainers often ride roughshod over the lads.

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Horseracing attracts millions of fans every year – but a lot of the action goes on behind the scenes[/caption]

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There are huge prizes to be won with owners, trainers and jockeys united in the pursuit of glory[/caption]

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And while the wages might be small and the work back-breaking at times, there are certainly other benefits to enjoy, it seems.

Here our stable girl lifts the lid on the best and worst of life away from the parade ring including steamy sessions during shifts, taking cocaine just to stay slim and luxurious massages… for the horses.

A roll in the hay

There’s a reason why organisers supplied the Olympic Village with 300,000 condoms at last year’s Paris Olympics.

You put a whole load of young, fit athletes together in close proximity and a lot of sex will happen. 

It’s the same in a racing stable – the majority of us grooms are young and we all have to be extremely fit as the work is taxing.

I don’t want to be tied down at this stage of my life and so I’m more than happy that there’s a ready supply of hot men to have sex with

So there’s a lot of casual sex. I was at one stable where I’d slept with most of the lads there. It’s not just in the evenings either.

I literally had a roll in the hay with one lad in the stable between taking different horses out for exercise – that was a race to the finish.

I don’t want to be tied down at this stage of my life and so I’m more than happy that there’s a ready supply of hot men to have sex with. 

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The hours can be long and the work has to be done… whatever the weather (stock image)[/caption]

It’s a hard life… unless you’re a horse

Believe me when I say the racehorses live in the lap of luxury.

They are monitored and looked after as carefully as a newborn baby.

Nothing is too much trouble for them, from massages to special diets. Every hair on them is checked regularly.

We invariably are there because we all love horses, definitely not for the money.

I started riding when I was five and never wanted to do anything but work in a yard.

I did holiday work at a local racing stable from the age of 14 and was taken on full time when I was 16.

My starting wages were around £200 a week, though I got free accommodation for a while – it was a static caravan with another lad.

And as it was a small stable I didn’t get a day off for months at a time.

It depends on the stable, but generally you start work before 6am, stop briefly for breakfast, then have a couple of hours for lunch and carry on until around 5.30pm.

You have to work in all weather as the horses need to be looked after whether it’s snowing or blowing a gale.

Weight watchers

If you work in the yard and ride the horses you have to maintain a low weight, as this is what the horses are used to carrying.

I’m 5ft 3in and stay under 8st. It’s relatively easy as the work is so physical and I eat healthily naturally anyway. 

But one of the lads really struggles as he’s 5ft 10.

There are days when he eats nothing and at other times he’ll have one chicken breast and some vegetables all day. 

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been told my a*** looks good in jodhpurs

Although I’ve never done it, I’ve heard drugs like cocaine are taken to aid weight loss as well as recreationally. 

Obviously jockeys can’t risk doing that as they are randomly drug-tested. 

We also have to be very careful what we feed horses as treats as they’re constantly tested too.

They can have polos, carrots or apples, but we never give them anything else as there’s such a long list of banned substances in racing that you can’t risk it.

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Horsing around

Although it’s hard work we do get a fair amount of down time and because we all live close to the stables we hang out a lot.

It’s not just sex – though there is a lot of that. But we also muck around like kids, the boys often play rugby or we’ll all have water fights.

There is a lot of camaraderie and laughter and banter. 

It isn’t a place for the faint hearted – the banter is the sort that would get you dismissed from an office job instantly for sexual harassment.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been told my a*** looks good in my jodhpurs. I laugh it off, it doesn’t bother me at all. 

Misogyny

I don’t mind the banter it but does annoy me that it’s still a very male-dominated world and I feel women are seen as second class citizens.

While more women enter the trade, there are only a few top female jockeys.

The trainers are mostly men who are 60-plus and have old fashioned views that women are ‘pretty little things’.

Some will flirt quite obnoxiously, but I’ve learnt to let it go over my head. You become very resilient.

When they aren’t checking out my body, they command a lot of respect and woe betide anyone that crosses them.

Some jockeys get death threats if their horse doesn’t run well, and as a groom I do too

Even after nine years working as a groom I can still feel nervous if I mess up and miss something, like a small cut on the horse.

Mind you, some of them are worth a fortune so you do need to be on top of the horses you look after, and we each have between four and six under our care.

Social media death threats

It used to be that we were invisible, but now I really appreciate the times when a jockey wins on one of the horses I’ve looked after and posts on Instagram and tags me to say thanks. 

Though it has a downside. People see it and then contact me asking for tips on how the horse is doing and whether they should bet on it.

I always block them immediately – we keep very tight-lipped about our horses. 

Some jockeys get terrible abuse and death threats if their horse doesn’t run well and sometimes as a groom I do too.

The first few times I was shocked, but now I just shrug it off. 

Hot favourite

You get very fond of some of the horses, they’re all individuals just like people. 

There was one horse in particular, who was pretty successful, that I adored.

I remember sitting in his stable, just staring up at him and marvelling about how gentle he was in the stable. I still miss him and the bond we had. 

And it’s really exciting when the horse you tend does well in a race. 

Other horses I’m reluctant to ride, and I point blank refused to ride one – he was known to gallop off with people.

I don’t want to become a jockey, I’m very happy to be a lad, but those who want to go on and race themselves are under more pressure to ride any horse, however difficult he is.

I’ve only had a couple of minor injuries, like broken toes when a horse inadvertently trod on me. 

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It’s an incredible feeling to work with such amazing animals and be part of a winning team[/caption]

AFP - Getty

Party time

I’ve worked in Newmarket previously and the social life was incredible – as the place is filled with different trainers.

After big race meetings the lads often gather in one pub and then go on to an after party at someone’s accommodation.

There’s such a celebratory air that we all let off steam together and that’s when we have even more sex.

Though I’ve slept with a lot of the lads, I’ve never even kissed a jockey – I’m not interested, and there are so many women that flock around them, I wouldn’t get a look in anyway. 

On a few occasions after a big win at a race, we’ve stayed up celebrating all night and gone to work the next day, drunk in charge of a horse.

Thankfully I’ve been riding for so long I could do it blind-folded… or blind drunk!

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