Since then he has had to juggle interview requests between milking
his 300 cows which he starts at 3.30am each morning.
'I'm going to finish now,' he told me before reliving his five
minutes of fame. 'I'd walked the course with (retired jockey)
Steve Smith-Eccles, who is a coach to the young jockeys who normally
ride in these hands-and-heel races. I could see him looking at
me and thinking who the hell is he. He's older than I am.
'Walking the course I was chilled but as I got changed I started
sweating. The day before I had said to trainer Colin Tizzard: "You'd
better get someone else to ride in case I lose my bottle".
'Joe Tizzard had told me he would stay and said not to do anything
silly at the last.'
So Anthony left it until after he had cleared the final flight
before his mad moment with a flourish to the gallery that could
have had disastrous results.
'I had no intention of doing that but the vicar and all my
friends from my village of Sturminster Newton came running from
the bar and there was a tremendous roar. You wave to people when
you pass them in our village and I was just doing that. 'I had
no intention of doing it, I just forgot I was in a race.' Knott,
who also conquered a hatred of the swimming pool to swim every
week with former Flat jockey Tim Sprake to maintain his fitness,
was a welcome antidote to the serious nature of sport.
But his decision to go out on top looks wise. Punters'
hearts could not probably take much more.