Janet Vokes

Janet Vokes was working at the working men’s club in Cefn Fforest, Wales, when she came up with a plan to breed a racehorse on her slagheap allotment. The foal grew into an unlikely champion, beating the finest thoroughbreds in the land, before suffering a near fatal accident. Nursed back to health by the love of his owners – for whom he’d become a source of inspiration and hope – he made a remarkable recovery, returning to the track for a heart-stopping comeback.

Today, Janet still works six days a week, as a cleaner at Asda and at a school in the afternoon. Her ambition now is to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. A new thoroughbred mare is installed in the allotment stables and the foal is due this year.