A former crime reporter who competed in his first horse race aged 58 has written a book about his equestrian feat.

HTFP reported in May Steven Wright, who used to work at the Bradford Telegraph & Argus, raised more than £500 for charity after riding his horse Alexander in a race during a point-to-point meeting in Skipton.

Steven and Alexander, a 13-year-old former steeplechaser who ran under his racing name of Adelphi Warrior, led the race in the early stages and finished a clear third.

Now Steven has produced Race To My Dream, recounting how they trained for two months after he took redundancy from the Telegraph & Argus, where he had been crime reporter for 13 years.

Said Steven: “I wouldn’t have had the time to get Alexander, or myself, properly race-fit otherwise.

“It had always been my dream to own and ride my own racehorse, and then to ride in a race. I achieved the first part of the dream some years ago, but I never expected to fulfill the second part. It was the most amazing experience of my life.”

Steven’s first book Run With Your Heart, published by Racing Post Books, told of his early ups and downs with Alexander.

He added: “It has taken us from the highs of competitive success to the lows of terrible accidents and serious injury. There have been both tears and laughter along the way. But I never expected the racetrack to be our destination.

“We have been through everything; from dramatic falls and painful injuries to uplifting triumphs and strange adventures, and built a strong partnership which enabled us, at the combined age of 71, to take on our greatest challenge.

“Along the way we fell for each other hook, line and sinker – so I guess it is also a kind of love story.”

Race To My Dream is available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon, and will shortly be available as a paperback, through Amazon and feedaread.com.