When he hung up his boots at the age of 35 due to injury in 1999, he had won a record 1,699 races. He is best known for his partnership with the legendary Desert Orchid on whom he won seven races.

Richard was awarded an MBE in 1993 for services to his sport. In December 2008 he was also awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of the University of Ulster in recognition of his contribution to equine sport.

A racing pundit for the BBC, sports columnist, and inspirational speaker, in January 2008 Richard also completed a gruelling 680-mile, 48-day trek to the South Pole unresupplied and on a new route, one that Shackleton intended to take back in 1915.

From May to July 2009 Richard undertook the ‘1000 Mile in 1000 hours’ Barclay Challenge which involved walking one mile in every hour for 42 days with minimal sleep throughout this period. This raised over 150K for the four charities that Richard is a patron of.

2009 also saw Richard’s (albeit brief!) appearance on the BBC hit show ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, an experience which he describes in his second recently published autobiography, ‘Method in My Madness’ as far more daunting than riding around the Aintree Grand National fences!

Audiences will learn about the driving ambition which led him to become a household favourite in racing circles at only 21 and the focus and determination which kept him at the forefront of National Hunt racing for 15 years and helped him complete his greatest ever achievement, reaching the South Pole. Richard also considers how he focused his mind to overcome the extreme sleep deprivation of walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours, and confronting the fear that he suffered when taking to the Strictly Come Dancing floor with Lilia Kopylova in front of 10 million viewers.

Testimonials

Richard was a huge success and warmly received by everybody. There was a sense that we were welcoming home a national hero.
Paul Ennis, Marketing Director, ESB Ireland

What a roaring success this event was. It was huguely enjoyable and very interesting. Inspiring.
Penny Newton, APM Project Manager

The feedback has been excellent with everyone thoroughly enjoying Richard’s talk and experiences. It was our most successful event ever…He is some guy!
Gillian Armitage, British Red Cross

Richard made an inspiring presentation to our company....was at ease with the audience... and was very open and friendly with members of the company...We would highly recommend him as an inspirational speaker.
Paul von der Heyde, Managing Director, Kinnarps UK Ltd.

I would like to thank you for the excellent presentation….There was great interest in your presentation and we have received excellent feedback from delegates.
Michael J Rogers, Chief Executive, The Sales Institute of Ireland

I had the pleasure of listening to your talk today…on behalf of Bracknell Forest Homes. It was the highlight of the day…
Clive Trimble, Bracknell Forest Homes

Richard is a lovely, professional man and was very approachable and amenable. His speech was great and my colleagues were very impressed that he was happy to speak to them afterwards and have pictures taken. Would definitely recommend him.
Tina Skerritt, Abbott Diagnostics

Three times Champion jockey Richard Dunwoody is one of Britain’s most successful jockeys ever. He was at the forefront of English National Hunt racing in the 80’s and the 90s, winning the Big Three races – the Grand National (twice on Miinnehoma and West Tip), the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Business lessons include:

Controlling the Controllable

Choosing Your Attitude

Goal setting

Overcoming the Fear of Failure

Learning from Mistakes and

Dealing with Setbacks

Building a High Performance Team

Doing the Basics

Focus and Commitment needed to Get to the Top

An Insight into the World’s Greatest Race, the Aintree Grand National

Conquering the South Pole

The 1000 Mile Challenge and the people who inspired and motivated Richard

Overcoming extreme nerves in the Strictly Come Dancing experience