WILLY Twiston-Davies sits back and relaxes with a cup of tea in familiar surroundings at home in the Cotswolds and reflects thoughtfully on a landmark year.
Minutes before he had arrived back from Richard Hannon's powerful stable, where he has enjoyed a memorable first season as a Flat jockey.
In contrast to home, he admits it was a step into the unknown when he first arrived at the Hannon HQ in Wiltshire.
But it could have hardly worked out any better for the son of trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies and younger brother of jockey Sam.
Not only has he ridden stacks of winners, he has teamed up with a host of leading trainers, donned the racing colours of the Queen and top owner Michael Tabor and received priceless advice from new champion jockey Richard Hughes
"At the beginning I was going there to see, it was just about giving it a go," he said.
"I wasn't doing it for any particular reason, not for experience, purely because I could. I was trying to work out what I could do.
"If I could stay light enough I'd stay on the Flat, if I wasn't light enough I had the experience to go back jumping.
"The one thing I've done now is gone away from home, ridden for different trainers and proved it's not my name that's getting me the rides.
"If I'd ridden for Richard Hannon and he didn't think I was good enough there's no reason for him to give me another ride.
"He's got 300 horses and it's a massive operation, and everyone is a small cog in a big wheel.
"He doesn't need me, the same as Brian Meehan, Roger Charlton and John Gosden.
"They wouldn't use me just because I'm the son of Nigel Twiston-Davies, they'd probably never heard of me.
"I like to think they use me because they like the way I ride.
"I like to think I've come out of Dad and Sam's shadow and become my own person on the Flat.
"I'll probably stay on the Flat for now, for next year, see how my weight is and take it as it comes."
Twiston-Davies, 18, had ridden eight winners over jumps before switching codes, landing the Foxhunter Chase at the 2011 Grand National meeting.
But he had also endured a luckless time with injuries.
He said Bourton-on-the-Water trainer Shaun Lycett and two-time Grand National-winning jockey Carl Llewellyn – his dad's business partner – suggested he tried his hand at riding on the Flat.
He made an immediate impact after switching, riding a winner on his first ride for new boss Hannon.
"It's gone really well at Mr Hannon's," he said.
"I've had a lot of rides and Mr Hannon's been very good to me.
"My agent Tony Hind has got me some good rides.
"Lots of big trainers have used me and I've had lots of rides for outside trainers.
"I didn't think I'd be riding for the trainers I've been riding for.
"Shaun has been very good to me. He was the one who basically told me to go on the Flat, him and Carl.
"Carl had wanted me to ride on the Flat for a long time.
"I was light enough and I could do it, and Shaun wanted me to ride a few Flat horses for him, even when I was jumping, because I could.
"Carl got me the job at Mr Hannon's through Richard Hughes.
"I was very happy about it but you don't know how it's going to go until you get there.
"I didn't know what I'd be doing and for all I knew I could have been just riding out six lots a day.
"Luckily Mr Hannon gave me lots of rides and lots of opportunities.
"He's easy to work for and easy to ride for.
"After I'd been there for two weeks he gave me a ride and my first ride was a winner – that helped.
"Richard Hughes is a good bloke, very easy to talk to.
"If I need to ask him about a horse he's ridden he'll help me straight up.
"The boss doesn't really give instructions, he'll trust you and leave it down to you.
"Hughesie would be very helpful in that respect."
YOUNGER BROTHER FEELS SAM SHOULD HOG HEADLINES
LEADING jump jockey Sam Twiston-Davies has no bigger supporter than his younger brother Willy.
The sporting siblings could not be closer and take immense pleasure in seeing each other enjoy success.
Willy believes Sam, stable jockey at his dad Nigel's Grand National-winning yard in Guiting Power, deserves wider recognition.
Willy said: "Sam's done really well and he's riding well.
"I just hope more outside trainers realise how good he is.
"He's had a few good outside rides but I just don't think he gets enough.
"A lot of people say he's probably one of the next McCoys, so fingers crossed.
"Martin Keighley said in his column in the Echo the other week how good he thought he'd been and I hope other trainers realise that too.
"He's good with owners and he gives it 100 per cent and gives horses every chance.
"You very rarely see Sam make a mistake."
Meanwhile, Twiston-Davies has backed the decision to raise the minimum weight to be carried by horses racing on the Flat by 2lb to 8st.
The British Horseracing Authority made the change in the interest of jockeys' welfare in light of figures which show the average weight of the British population is rising at a rate of 1lb every three years.
Twiston-Davies said: "It doesn't affect me but I just think there aren't many people who can do those light weights any more, only a select few.
"I think it gets to a point where trainers get stuck for choice and can't have the jockey they want because no-one can do the weight and end up with a rider that you probably wouldn't want on your horse on a more regular basis."
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STEEP LEARNING CURVE REQUIRES CALM
HAVING been brought up around jumps horses all his life, Willy Twiston-Davies has quickly got used to very different ways of doing things at his new place of work.
When once he rode experienced chasers up and down his dad's gallops, now he teams up with sprightly two-year-olds steadily learning their trade at Richard Hannon's stable.
"My style's changed a lot from riding longer, to being more confident as a rider, taking my time in races and not panicking," said Twiston-Davies.
"The weight's gone well, touch wood, and it's got easier as the year's gone on.
"It's a lot different, the pace angles, the way you race ride.
"In a race over jumps you'll see jockeys six or seven horses wide. You'll never see that in a Flat race.
"If you're three or four horses wide you're in the wrong place and you shouldn't be there, especially on the all-weather, not so much on turf.
"You can't afford to be too wide in a Flat race because you're losing so many lengths, whereas over jumps you've got more time.
"I've learned the pace angles, to trust myself and the horse I'm on, and I like to think I've become a much better judge of a horse, what mark they can win off."
