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photo: Alex Harris

Tom Ellis is the latest Rider to fall under the 'Pilots in Profile' spotlight.

South Midlands rider Tom was Area champion in 2008 and at the start of the season had recorded 43 victories between the flags. Hunting and Pony Clubbing kept him occupied as a teenager, the latter, he admits, "because they were mostly girls there".

Date of birth: 3.11.84

Marital status: Still interviewing!

Job or profession: I work on the family farm - 1,000 acres of arable - through the summer, which keeps me both busy and fat, as I sit on a tractor all day. In the winter there are the horses to do.

Are you from a racing background? If not, how did you get started in Point-to-Pointing? I had a series of fast ponies that gave me the need for speed. My Uncle, John Pritchard, who is a former joint-Master of the Warwickshire, trained and rode plenty of Point-to-Point winners; I rode out for him from the age of 14.

What was your first ride in public? Penlet at the SMAC meeting at Mollington on 28 January 2001. He belonged to my parents, who hadn't had much to do with Pointing other than as spectators; they told me to pull him up. I did, but I had a real job to stop him and then Dad gave me a b*****king for not carrying on!

First winner - name the horse, Owner & Trainer, the date & the course: Handley Park, owned by my Grandmother, Margaret Ellis and trained by my Uncle John [Pritchard] on 2 June 2002 at Dingley. John told me to kick on past the ash poles second time and when I looked round I was well clear. I don't really remember much else about the ride - it seems a long time ago now!

Apart from the first winner, what has been your most memorable ride? A particularly difficult horse called Eydon Run, trained by Jimmy Tarry, had failed to finish on his five previous starts, including when he ran out with me on his 2008 debut, but he won his Maiden at Dingley later that season, completing the last leg of my first treble.

Is there a ride you look back on and think "could have done better"? Last season I finished second on Latenightdip at Garthorpe. She belongs to my parents. When they looked at the video they didn't think she would have got any closer, but I think I rode her too much like a baby and would have won had I not been half asleep.

For which trainers to you mainly ride? Jimmy Tarry, Michael and Fiona Kehoe, Jackie Hunt, Jenny Pidgeon and David and Kate Buckett.

Who has been most influential on your riding career so far? Lynn Redman gave me lots of opportunities when I was starting out. I owe a lot to her mare Home By Midnight, who put me on the map.

Which are your favourite courses? And for what reasons? Dingley, where I rode my first winner and my first treble; I've been leading rider there for the past two years.

What car do you drive? A BMW 3 series, bought in the summer.

Name your perfect night in and perfect night out: I don't like nights in - they're boring! You can't beat a night out with all your mates.

Where do you like to go on holiday? A trip to Ditcheat to collect my best mate, Dan Skelton [assistant to Paul Nicholls]. Then on to Umberleigh, followed by a week in Newquay on soft drinks!!

Who would be your ideal travelling companions to the races? My housemate Johnny Bailey, known as "The Rodent" because he looks like Roland Rat and he's always nicking my clothes! Also Pete Mann for the comedy value and Henry Kinchin, who we call "The Michelin Man" because he's so fat. There's never a dull moment travelling with those three - it makes a trip to Higham a lot shorter.

What's currently on your iPod? Whatever is on Radio One.

What are your favourite films and TV programmes? Anything with Jason Statham in it.

What has been either your own funniest incident, or the most amusing thing you have seen or heard at the races? Probably not very funny at the time, but looking back it makes us laugh. After going through a wing at Ashorne I picked myself up and saw Johnny lying on the floor with a broken leg. When I asked if he was okay he replied "Don't think I'll make the pub tonight. Sorry!"

Who are your biggest heroes in racing? Ruby Walsh and Tony McCoy.

Which particular horse (in any discipline) would you like to ride? Kauto Star. I think he is awesome - everything a racehorse should be.

Apart from race-riding, in what other sports do you participate? Skiing, if I ever get the time.

Do you have any regrets in your riding career to date? Not being able to say yes to everything I am asked to ride.

What ambitions do you have in racing? To ride to as close to 100 (!) winners as I possibly can.

What is your opinion on December racing? It gives soft ground horses more opportunities, but I don't think there are enough options of places to run.

What are your opinions on the changes in Point-to-Pointing in recent years? What changes do you think would benefit the sport in the future? I think four-year-olds carrying 10st is not what the sport is all about. There should be specific races for four- and five-year-olds, where they carry 11st7lbs and 12st respectively. It's only the youngest jockeys who tend to be light enough for low weights and I don't think two Novices together is the best combination.

Also, early in the season, if a race entry is double the safety factor the organisers should have to divide before the day. You can't organise your rides properly as a jockey, or as a trainer; you may get to a meeting really early expecting to be in the first and find the horses are hanging about for ages because races have been split. Later in the season it's not so bad because there are more fixtures and therefore not likely to be quite so many runners at any one meeting.

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