A jockey with an 18-year career in racing spanning around 200 rides is still looking for his first winner.

But James Stenning, known as "Smurf" since he was a 5ft, six-stone apprentice, is determined to change that unwelcome statistic.

At the age of 32, James has taken out his licence to ride which lapsed nearly ten years ago.

Placed many times but never lucky enough to pass the post in front, Stenning is assistant to Lewes trainer Tom McGovern for whom he has been schooling and working horses since the early Nineties.

McGovern, a genial Irishman, said: "He has taught every horse I've run, over hurdles or fences, to jump.

"He has done the donkey work while others have had the honour and glory. I thought it was time he had the chance to ride a winner or two himself."

In recent years James has not confined his sporting activities to the equestrian.

In 1999 he was champion in the Sussex Road Racing Grand Prix Series of 16 events from ten kilometres to 20 miles.

The following year he finished in the top 300 at the London Marathon in 2hr.42min, the third best Sussex representative in the race.

James did not sit on a horse until he was 14-years-old. He began at a Horsted Keynes riding school and the bug bit deeply enough for him to leave school and become apprentice to John Long, who was then training at Lewes.

He said: "I was a flat race apprentice for four or five years and had almost 100 rides.

"I got placed but just couldn't ride a winner, so when my weight began to creep up I moved to John Ffitch-Hayes who trained jumpers."

By this time, being a regular at Plumpton, he had met Kate Harland, whose father was the senior groundsman on the course.

Lack of winners and the pull of a regular job and a pretty girl resulted in marriage and a position on the Plumpton groundstaff.

Stenning said: "I was three years in that job and learned a lot about grass management and fence building. But I missed the riding, so I joined Julian Poulton back in Lewes as head lad."

But when Poulton was on the verge of moving to Newmarket a couple of years ago and not wishing to leave his Sussex roots, James joined Tom McGovern as assistant trainer and that's where he is today.

On gaining his riding licence last month it was Julian Poulton's brother Jamie who gave Stenning his first ride back.

It almost ended in disaster. The horse, Map Boy, made a bad mistake giving Stenning a crashing fall. He said: "It was a silly fall but I hurt my neck and they took me off to hospital."

No long term harm was done and James reappeared on Phar Less Hassle at Plumpton on Moorcroft Charity Day last week.

Only Bhutan got the better of the McGovern-trained horse and the hopes are high that the next Fontwell meeting on Monday November 12 will see the partnership in the winners' enclosure.

James takes his fitness very seriously and it was only an injury that prevented him retaining his Grand Prix title last year.

He said: "I couldn't run the last three races but even so I was beaten only by one point.

"I was pretty cheesed off but I've just begun running again and I might do the London Marathon once more in April."

But if the choice has to be made between running and riding, the horses get the vote.

McGovern said: "Once he has ridden a winner it will be easier to persuade owners to put him up.

"He's a great man who takes a lot of pressure off me and I have total confidence in him.

"Be sure we'll get him on a winner before long, you see if we don't."