Dominic Prince, journalist, documentary maker, racing enthusiast and bon viveur hit the scales at nearly 16 stone on his 45th birthday. Not always the case, he often bunked off school to ride his first horse. It was after a horrific accident that he stepped down of his mount and gave in to the lure of Fleet Street and the three hour lunch. Going through the diet of a lifetime to make the weight for the 4pm at Wincanton, this is a memoir, sports book, exposé of the dark world of horse racing and, at heart, a story that all middle-aged men will know well, of realising a childhood dream before it is too late.

One midlife crisis, a horse and the diet of a lifetime