Richard Dunwoody's Blog by Richard_Dunwoody

Getting an edge, no matter how small, is vital to sportsmen. Diet is critical, even though incredible men like Lester Piggott (see piccie) were renowned for getting by on a cup of coffee, cigars and champagne! While my natural weight is around 12st, I always had to ride much lighter than that. I tried to eat as normally as possible, with perhaps just a piece of toast for breakfast and swapping red meat for fish and chicken. Nowadays I try to eat as normally as possible and I have a reasonably healthy diet, though I am not sure I always get my 5 a day. When trying to lose weight, everyone will tell you something different: “Eat this oil but not this one,” says a gym trainer. “Eat whatever makes you happy,” says your mother. “Eat whatever says ‘light’ on the pack,” says the food industry. “Run like mad and push yourself as far as you can,” shouts another gym teacher. “Don’t push yourself too hard, just walk a bit and do this more regularly,” says a doctor.

It is difficult to know what's right and what isn’t. Cardio exercise is a key factor in helping you lose weight. More total calories and more fat calories are burned off with higher intensity work-outs. This isn’t to say that low intensity exercise doesn’t have its place. In fact, endurance workouts should be a staple of a complete fitness program along with shorter, higher intensity workouts. Those who play sport are given all sorts of advice. The right nutrition fuels training. Training fuels confidence. And confidence is a great edge. It is odd to see, for instance, American Footballers who have buckets of Gatorade on the sidelines. It is loaded with sugar, so if they drink it during the game, at some point they will have an insulin crash and become tired. According to former American Football Bill Romonowski, one of the best diets for athletes who need to sustain energy levels is a basic concoction – a soup of brown rice, potatoes, sirloin, onions, fresh peas and carrots. He said: “Each of the foods has a different glycemic burn to it. When the brown rice wears off, the potatoes will take over. When the potatoes wear off, the sirloin will take over. Then the vegetables will. You could really feel the difference in your energy levels in the second half.”

But for me, the simple answer to lose weight is cut down on food, limit the calories. And exercise. Admittedly, I’ve put on a few pound of late, but I will be in Mongolia and Afghanistan for a couple of months during the summer, so it may well come off again. There have been a number of recent attacks on foreigners by Afghan security personnel and that is alarming. There have been a lot of Afghan police and civilians killed. Everyone says the situation is worse, and the rising death toll bears this out. On Tuesday, for instance, eight foreign troops and a contractor were been killed by an Afghan air force pilot at Kabul airport. Last November, an Afghan policeman killed six US soldiers. The attackers are sometimes actually members of the Afghan security forces, and sometimes insurgents impersonating servicemen. It is very sad, especially since Afghanistan is such a beautiful country and the majority of its people so welcoming.

Next month I’m off to Bamiyan for a tourism conference. Bamiyan lies approximately 240 kilometres north-west of Kabul. There are plans for new hotels in that region of the Panjshir Valley and visitors can ski in both Bamiyan and the Salang Pass during the winter months, and the Wakhan Corridor. My destination in July is ripe for trekking, climbing and riding. Band-e-amir, 70km from Bamiyan, is one of the most beautiful lake districts in the world. Despite its situation, Afghanistan is a fascinating country and I can’t wait to return there. On Sunday, I was at Hoppegarten, where Lester Piggott was guest of honour. He was looking extremely fit and well, and was there to present the trophies for the main event, the Hoppegartener Osterpreis (Easter Prize). It was also good to catch up also with Vincent Rossiter, who rode with Lester in the glory days when they were both at Vincent O’Brien’s yard.

Hoppegarten itself is a beautiful track nestled in woods on the East side of Berlin and the crowds have been above average for the first two meetings of the year, largely due to the leadership of London-based Gerhard Schöningh. Under his guidance, Hoppegarten has become one of the most go-ahead racecourses in Germany. Almost 10,000 saw top sprinter Overdose hack up two weeks ago and there were around 8,000 to see Lester. Unfortunately prize money has been small so far this season but 70,000 Euros is up for grabs in the fillies’ race – the Diane Trial – next month and the Grosser Preis von Berlin in July is worth 175,000 Euros. Both races should see challengers from both England and France.

I watched Manchester United beat Schalke 2-0 in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night. After yet another disappointing result for the Gunners on Saturday, it looks like United will win the Premier League as well. Arsenal must be the only team who can finish third in a two-horse race! You have to marvel at Ryan Giggs. To keep playing at the top level and to keep putting on consistently outstanding displays at the age of 37 is testament to how well he looks after himself. Sir Alex Ferguson has virtually ruled Giggs out of Sunday’s crucial Premier League trip to London to take on Arsenal, which at least gives the Gunners some hope! Victory for United would keep them at least six points clear at the top with only three games to go.

Talking of evergreen sportsmen, there is always a lot of rubbish written and said about those who attempt to make a comeback, the underlying suggestion is that they shouldn’t ever contemplate it. Yet you’ve only got to look at Lester Piggott and Mark Todd – who won Badminton for the fourth time in his career on Sunday, at the age of 55, some 31 years after his first victory there – to know that age is not always a barrier. I am going to Down Royal Racecourse this weekend. It is my father’s memorial race on Monday. Dad was born in Monaghan and rode and trained over 100 winners from his bases in Northern Ireland. A widely respected amateur jockey, Down Royal was the course on which he rode a winner in his fifties. It is always a pleasure to go there and I’m looking forward to the day.

The Grand National left us plenty to talk about. The race itself saw some tremendous performances, particularly from those who rode the first five home. The rides by Jason Maguire, who brought Ballabriggs home in front, and Graham Lee, who did so well to get Big Fella Thanks into the race before the horse’s stamina waned, were particularly praiseworthy. It also showed that different methods of training can be successful. Jonjo O’Neill campaigned last year’s winner Don’t Push It over hurdles until he ran a fine third for AP McCoy in the renewal. There has been considerable amounts written about the deaths of two horses in the race. You can appreciate where the Animal Rights activists are coming from. No-one wants to see animals killed in the name of sport.

Europe continues to point the finger at Spain for bullfighting. Bureaucrats and animal welfare groups are trying to have it outlawed. The bull of course has little or no chance when it enters the ring but we do have to monitor very closely the vagaries of our own sport. The stats for the Grand National point out that an average of one horse is killed every year. That’s one too many. And it is an incredibly difficult situation for the racing authorities. Horses are bred to jump fences, bred to gallop. They are looked after to a very high standard. They are born to race, but should the industry – the sixth biggest in Britain – bow to more pressure from animal rights groups? There is no getting away from the fact that it is a tough race. And those who say the deaths are unacceptable have a very valid point. Someone put forward the view that the event is like an accident blackspot in horse racing. A lot of sports have or have had their own blackspots, but then things are done to try and eradicate the problem. But what can we do to alleviate or eradicate the problem with the National?

If you change the structure of the race, you may as well do away with it altogether. Should we lower fences and/or lower the distance? Let’s not forget that both horses were killed before they’d gone six furlongs. Jumping at speed over regulation fences will invariably mean the odd fatality too. Is the Grand National too dangerous? John Francome dealt with these issues well when interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live last week. There are even some people in racing who can’t stomach the Grand National. They don’t like watching it. And that goes for trainers and owners too. Desert Orchid, for instance, was never given the chance, because connections did not want to risk him. But cutting down the size of the fences isn’t necessarily the answer to make it that much safer. I’ve never seen the first fence cut as short as it has been in the past two years, but still there are fallers at it.

Fortunately, Racing works closely with the RSPCA. And Racing is very lucky that the charity’s equine consultant is David Muir, a man who has a very sensible head on his shoulders. He is going to take part in a review of the Grand National course and he said: “I was gutted that two horses died because I put a lot of work into that course. What I will do now is go back and have a look at each element, with the BHA and the racecourse management, to see if the jump contributed to what happened, look at the take-off and landing side and so on, and see if the evidence suggests something can be done about it. “I’m trying to make the race better, safer where I can, but the one thing I can never do is eliminate risk: that's always going to be there.” Muir has fought the horse’s corner and the industry would be under a lot more pressure from some of the more militant groups if a less knowledgeable man was in his place. His cause has not been helped by some sensationalist reporting, particularly from the Mail On Sunday and Daily Mail.

The hypocrisy of the Mail’s editors is astonishing. Look at the amount of coverage they devoted to the race beforehand. They even included a sweepstake kit! Then we get sensationalist, over-the-top coverage of the two horses that died on the Sunday. If they don’t like the Grand National, then don’t cover it. Don’t try and sell papers by putting the racecard into the paper. Don’t build the race up beforehand. Let’s have not a word written about the National. You think that will happen? I think not. They know the National sells papers. All those involved in racing do care for their horses and horseracing has for many years worked closely with legitimate animal welfare charities, such as the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare, in order to make it safer. That will continue. It’s the sensationalist coverage that racing could do without.

The Chinese Grand Prix was one of the best races I’ve ever seen. Lewis Hamilton was at his aggressive, brilliant best. He put in a terrific manoeuvre to pass his team-mate Jenson Button in the middle of the race and eventually reeled in Red Bull’s world champion Sebastian Vettel with four laps remaining. The new Pirelli tyres make it much more of a contest. When they go off, they go off properly, and there is now much more overtaking, thanks also to the Drag Reduction System (DRS) and the extra horsepower generated form from the KERS energy boost device. F1 is, once again, fascinating. It requires concentration from the viewer to follow what strategy each driver is employing and appreciate how long he can make his tyres last. It promises to be a great season. On Sunday, I went to Hoppegartern in Berlin, where nearly 10,000 spectators saw Hungarian horse Overdose make his return to action. Appearing for the first time since losing his unbeaten record in Germany last year, the six-year-old registered his 15th win from 16 starts when blitzing his rivals in track-record time of 57.1s in a specially framed 5f event. The Temple Stakes at Haydock on May 21 is next on the agenda and Royal Ascot after that.

As you will probably know, it is Grand National week. On Friday, I went down to Paul Nicholls’ yard in Ditcheat, Somerset, to film a BBC feature on the champion trainer’s preparations for the most famous race in the world. Paul hasn’t had a lot of luck in the National. Forty-two runners over 20 years have yielded one runner-up, Royal Auclair, in 2005, a third with My Will in 2009 and a catalogue of disappointment. On Saturday, he’ll be hoping that one of his four darts – What A Friend, Niche Market, The Tother One or Ornais – will finally hit the target at Aintree. What A Friend – owned in partnership by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason – is the shortest of his quartet in the betting following his excellent fourth to Long Run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and would have a good chance if the ground continues to dry.

But I was lucky enough to put Niche Market through his paces. With me and the saddle, Niche Market was forced to carry around 13st (probably more) up the steepest gallop in Britain – a 77-metre rise in less than half a mile. The 10-year-old, who was an excellent fifth in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November, was made to work very hard to get to the top – particularly over the very stiff middle two-furlongs – before we reached the last furlong, which is a more gentle climb. As soon as he reached that, he was back on the bridle again. The gallop, which is made of wax-sand, is also notable for the fact that at the top of it there is no gate. It must be the only one in the country that has an ending that goes straight out onto a public road. Niche Market is a very clever horse and a bit of a mickey-taker. His ears were going all the time and he loves to know what’s going on around him. But he is also a very classy horse, as underlined by his victory in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in 2009. If the ground is not too quick and he takes to the fences and the occasion, I think he and jockey Harry Skelton are going to have a good chance of making the frame.

To highlight how Paul gets his horses fit, BBC viewers can see me put through my paces up that gallop by 2006 Commonwealth decathlon champion Dean Macey. Dean is a very nice guy, one of Britain’s best-loved athletes. After a fantastic career which included narrowly missing out on a medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he retired in 2008. Like me, he’s never one to shirk a challenge and his first venture after retirement was to take up bobsleighing. Along with former Olympic sprinter Jason Gardner, they attempted to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics. As well as a short career as a bobsleigh athlete, Dean has added a few more strings to his bow. Add entrepreneur, fitness coach, amateur chef, angler and commentator to his increasingly-expanding repertoire. He took part in the BBC’s Masterchef programme, went to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics as a commentator for Eurosport (on the bobsleigh, naturally) and finds time to run master-classes for PE teachers. A keen fisher, he has presented his own programmes on the Discovery Channel and has his own range of angling equipment. Dean keeps himself very fit. He’s also a fantastic athletic conditioning coach – any athlete looking to get an edge should look him up as soon as possible.

He expects the best and knows how to motivate you – as I found out running up Paul’s gallop! The first time we attempted it, the car with the film crew in front of us stalled and we had to have a break. Then after a few more short takes, we’d still not run up the whole gallop properly. Dean and I couldn't have that, so I was sent back to the bottom again and we ran to the top, though ‘ran’ is probably not the right word. It took me 5 mins and 2 seconds to cover the half-mile! He pushed me all the way and to say that it was an intense workout is a bit of an understatement. It’s no wonder Paul always has his horses incredibly fit. You can see the piece during the BBC’s coverage of Aintree, which starts on Thursday.

I was fortunate enough to catch some of London Irish’s 25-12 victory over Wasps on Sunday. While it may not have been the best of games, it was a good result, one that keeps their Aviva Premiership play-off hopes alive. Wing Tom Homer accounted for 20 points as Wasps were made to pay for their ill-discipline. They are not the side they were three or four years ago and continue their slide down the table. That result was much better than the one at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Arsenal seem intent on handing the title to Manchester United, as their failure to beat Blackburn shows. I’m clinging to the hope that the Gunners will still claim some silverware, but I have to say it is looking increasingly unlikely with each passing week.

Anyone who saw Rodi Greene’s terrible fall from Diamond Twister at the first flight in a maiden hurdle at Lingfield last week will have winced. Rodi (below) suffered a displaced a bone in his neck and mild concussion after being catapulted clear. Hopefully, he’ll make a full recovery and my thoughts are with him and his wife, Alison. Falls are part of the job. It is estimated that one in every 15 rides will result in a fall. In my career, I had probably five or six bad concussions. One of the worst came in a last-fence fall at Ascot. I didn’t really become conscious until I was in the sauna, well after the last race, and didn’t remember anything at all, until I watched the replay and saw myself talking to the on-course doctor on TV, which I didn’t recall. 

I suffered another concussion at Hereford. I was sitting in the weighing room afterwards with a big smile on my face, pretending I was okay, until I read the paper with horror; apparently I’d left Martin Pipe and I’d left my wife! That was news to me. It was frightening... until I was reminded that it was actually true. I had left the employ of the master trainer to go freelance and, being 10 months after my split with Carol, I was already in another relationship. Concussions take their toll. I’ve had scans that show there is a small shadow on my brain, and while people will joke that I’ve had one too many bangs on the head, phrases used to describe sports-related concussions such as ‘getting dinged’, having one’s ‘bell rung’, or getting hit so hard you ‘see stars’, downplay the seriousness of these injuries. A lot has been done to reduce concussions within rugby over the past few years and players are more likely to be instructed to leave the field if a concussion is suspected.

The use of scrum caps and improvements in helmet technology has helped reduce the number of concussions in sport, but they are still all too common. I confess that I have an interest in American Football, largely because of the attrition that playing in the NFL has on the body. Concussion rates are so serious that Congress is looking into it. A recent NFL study revealed that the average impact velocity of a helmet-to-helmet tackle is 20.8 miles per hour. The player being struck, on average, goes from a state of rest to impact velocity of 16.1 miles per hour. Think of it as a car crash. On every play. Thirty, forty, fifty times each game. That’s how players make their living – by getting into car crashes. The average life expectancy of an NFL player is about 20 years shorter than the average American male. Players are bigger and faster and harder-hitting (more dangerous) than ever and an NFL player’s average career-span is just 3.4 years. Many players are diagnosed with ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and believed to be linked to repeated concussions). Recently, Chicago Bears legend Dave Duerson took his own life by shooting himself in the chest instead of the head so his brain could be studied for the effects of post-concussive syndrome. He was just 50 years old. Many NFL teams are now playing on a synthetic turf that, according to one study, has an injury rate that is 27 percent higher than on grass.

So what does the NFL want to do? Add two more games to the 16-game regular season. That’s hardly an advert for players’ welfare. The league is coming off its most successful season in history, but for the owners it’s not enough. They also want players to take massive wage cuts (around 18%), because they claim a dip in profits. The not-so-funny thing is the owners of the 32 teams refuse to open their books to prove it. Negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Players’ Association and the NFL have broken down, and the owners have locked out the players. An off-season lockout means that they have no access to team trainers, doctors, or physical therapists. Remember, this is a league with a 100 percent injury rate. Healthcare for players and their families is officially cut off. While some will say it is a battle between billionaires and millionaires, even I, with just a passing interest in the sport, know whose side I’m on.

I have been on the odd Hash when I’ve been visiting Berlin and last week I laid my first Hash Trail. A dozen of us ran around the beautiful area of Grunewald, and I’m pleased to say that I didn’t lose anyone. Afterwards we all retired to the local kneipe (bar). A good time, I think, was had by all. I also visited the Boros Collection at the Bunker Exhibition, a collection of contemporary art, which incorporates sculptures, room and light installations, and performance works. Since 2008, communication designer Christian Boros and his wife Karen have showed their private collection in a converted bunker in Berlin-Mitte. It is a fascinating way to spend an hour or two.  Tickets can be purchased by logging on here. I thoroughly recommend a visit.

With Aintree’s John Smith’s Grand National meeting starting next Thursday, I have been studying the form in preparation for my BBC punditry role. I’ll be at champion trainer Paul Nicholls’s Ditcheat yard in Somerset on Friday. Some bright spark had the idea that I should run up his famous gallops (in other words up one of the steepest hills in Somerset). I believe the plan is for Dame Kelly Holmes to run with me (though quite why Clare Balding is not doing it, is a question that needs asking). It’s going to be quite some workout, that’s all I know!