David Bass is a top jockey and a top bloke.

The 36-year-old knows what it’s like to win at the Cheltenham Festival, he’s clocked up close to 600 winners in a career stretching back more than 15 years, and he’s been a regular rider for some of the best trainers in the land.

His most recent success at the Cheltenham Festival came last year when he steered the Kim Bailey-trained Chianti Classico to victory in the Ultima Handicap Chase on the opening day of the meeting.

That was one of the many highlights in a career that’s still a long way from being over even though last year he took the big decision to step down as stable jockey at Bailey’s yard in the Cotswolds.

These days he’s a freelance jockey – he rides out for the likes of Nicky Henderson, Ben Pauling and up-and-coming trainer Max Comley – and he says he’s thoroughly enjoying the new experience.

“It was a big thing to move on,” he admitted. “I’d been at Kim Bailey’s for a long time and ridden lots of good horses.

“I’ve given up some good horses but I felt I just needed to do something different. I got so involved in things, trying to find the next top horse, I just needed a break.”

Bass is very easy to interview. Away from the horses he’s got plenty of interests, plenty of interesting things to say and he’s got a ready laugh.

The horses are how he makes his living, of course, but these days he’s old enough and wise enough to realise that you can’t live the sport 24/7.

At the time of the interview he’d ridden 588 winners – his first was in the 2008/09 season – although he admitted he wasn’t aware of the exact number of times he’d been in the winner’s enclosure.

“I thought it was getting close to 600,” he said. “But I don’t really think about the numbers, I don’t feel it’s helpful.

“I used to be obsessed by the number of winners I’d had, strike rates, but it’s quite draining.”

Bass has spoken out about mental health in the sport in the past and has readily admitted to having had mental health issues of his own.

“If you’d have asked me a few years ago, I’d have always had a target in terms of winners that I was aiming for,” he said. “I still want to ride as many winners as I can, but I want to enjoy it.”

He’s certainly enjoyed some great times at the Cheltenham Festival – this year’s four-day extravaganza starts on Tuesday 11th March – with his first winner at the showpiece event coming aboard Darna back in 2015 in a Grade 3 handicap chase.

Darna was trained by Bailey but he’s also ridden Willoughby Court to victory at the Festival for Cotswolds-based Pauling, as well as another for Bailey – Imperial Aura – in 2020.

Bass is obviously very proud of those successes – “Better jockeys than me have never ridden a Cheltenham Festival winner,” he said modestly – and he’s also proud of his career to date.

“I suppose I am,” he said, “although I would say I should have ridden more winners.

“But when you consider my background, I didn’t grow up around horses. It was hard to get going, so I’ve done pretty well.”

Bass, who was born in Bedford, was raised in Northampton. Growing up, his mum was a vicar and taught the harp while his dad taught the viola and violin.

His dad also liked horseracing but the young Bass didn’t decide he wanted to be a jockey until he was 16.

That’s a lot later than most, of course, but his upbringing allowed Bass to develop views away from just horses, views that he is able to articulate very well today.

He’s happy to describe himself as an eco-warrior, he’s a vegan and when it comes to politics, in which he has a healthy interest, he’s a socialist.

Those are areas which your average sportsman or woman may not wish to get involved, but Bass is happy to be a little bit different, although in the early days it was football and music that grabbed his attention as they do for so many young people.

He was in a punk band during his time at school – with the name Bass he should have been a guitarist but he was actually a drummer.

“I wish I’d been around in the 70s with all the punk music,” he said. “I’d have loved to have seen The Clash and the Pistols.”

He did get to see the The Damned in Cheltenham a few years ago – he’s also seen Sham 69 play in Swindon and Blondie perform at Glastonbury – and music remains a very big part of his life.

As does football. He is a Spurs fan but goes and watches Forest Green Rovers play whenever he can.

“They’re my second club,” he said. “I’ve been five or six times this season. I’d love them to win the title and promotion back to the Football League, that would be some party.”

Forest Green are a good fit for Bass, who lives not too far away in Swindon.

Their chairman Dale Vince is a green energy tycoon. He’s also a vegan and Bass said: “I read a lot about him, I was interested in the diet, he’s an interesting man.

“I find it fascinating that he’s trying to create the most sustainable football club in the world.”

Bass knows his football because he played when he was younger – appropriately enough, given his politics, he was a left-winger – and he still plays the occasional game today.

“I’ve always liked football although I wished I’d played centre-forward when I was younger,” he said.

He is at least realising that dream now, though, because for the past few years he has taken part in an annual charity game at The Hawthorns, home to West Bromwich Albion.

This year’s game is in May and Bass will be there.

“I’ve played with Peter Odemwingie, it’s brilliant playing up front with him,” he said. “I’ve played centre-forward and I’ve scored a few goals.”

Bass is 5ft 10in, which is tall for a jockey but not for a striker, and he added: “I’m an okay runner – I’m not slow – and I’m two-footed, but I do hog the ball!

“I would have loved to play football at a high level but I’m so lucky to have been able to compete at the top level in racing.”

That includes riding in the Grand National, and back in 2016 he rode The Last Samuri into second place for Bailey behind the Willie Mullins-trained Rule The World.

The distance was six lengths and Bass said: “I still haven’t got over it,” before adding with a laugh, “I have really.”

Dick Saunders, who rode Grittar to victory in 1982, is the oldest Grand National-winning jockey at 48, so Bass still has time on his side and he certainly has no intention of packing up any time soon.

“I feel as fit and as strong as I have for a long time,” he said. “I still really enjoy race riding, I’ve still got a few years to go.

“If I make it to 40 I’ll have done well, but jump jockeys do get to 40.”

He will have to stop at some stage, of course, and he’s not sure at this stage what he’ll do when he leaves a racecourse as a jockey for the last time.

“I always thought I’d move away from racing,” he said. “I thought I do something in music but I love working with racehorses, even more so in the past few years, although I wouldn’t want to train.”

Bass’ girlfriend Viktoria Gatu is a work rider for Flat trainer Charlie Hills and Bass continued: “She’s Swedish and has worked in racing all over the world. She was an apprentice in New Zealand and rode quite a few winners.”

Flat racing is something that interests Bass.

“I really enjoy it,” he said. “I love watching the top Flat jockeys, I love their style.

“They ride a bit shorter than jump jockeys, they ride in behind the horse, they’re further up the horse’s neck.”

The Flat season gets under way with the Lincoln Meeting at Doncaster on Saturday 29^th March, 15 days after the final day of this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Bass doesn’t know how many rides he’ll have at the home of National Hunt racing this year.

“It’s very difficult, there are so many good horses coming over from Ireland,” he said. “Last year I had only the one runner, on the second day I was at Huntingdon.”

But whether he’s competing or not, he’ll be keeping a close eye on all the drama as it unfolds.

“I’m a massive racing fan and I’ve always loved the Cheltenham Festival,” he said. “I’m very good friends with Nico de Boinville, so I’m hoping he has a couple of winners.”

De Boinville won the Gold Cup on Coneygree back in 2015, a rare winner from these shores in the big race in recent times.

Last year’s Irish winner Galopin Des Champs is strongly fancied to retain his title but Bass isn’t so sure.

“If it’s soft ground then Galopin Des Champs, but if the ground is better I’m tipping Gerri Colombe,” he said.

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