IMAGINE knowing you had to lose a stone and a half if you wanted a chance to pursue your dream job. Now imagine having to do that while hardly having an ounce of fat in the first place.

That was the challenge facing Sutton Bank jockey Justin Newman.

Having decided to end a successful amateur career, the 22-year-old wanted nothing more than to ply a burgeoning trade with the elite jockeys on the Flat – riding at top tracks like York.

But, weighing in around the ten stone mark, Newman knew he would never achieve that ambition unless he managed to shift some pounds sharpish.

A total of 21 of those later, he started the season with the Flat brigade and has made an immediate impact.

Supported by his boss, Hambleton trainer Bryan Smart, Newman has notched up three winners and has gained an early reputation as a young rider who is well worth his claim in the saddle.

The hardest part of all, he says, was losing the weight. With that off, previous thoughts of making a career in the National Hunt sphere are now well and truly banished.

“I managed to get a bit of weight off, with a lot of support from the boss, and the weight has come down nicely,” he said.

“Altogether, it was a good stone and a half. It’s been worth it.

“It was hard at the time and I felt like giving up sometimes but it has paid off. I did it with a lot of advice, a lot of running, a lot of walking – eating healthily and keeping on top of it.

“The sauna is the office. Some of the rides, I don’t need to go for a sweat. It’s only there to keep on top of things. But while I am riding, it’s very straightforward.”

Now riding at 8st 8lb, Newman knows he must work hard to maintain his focus. Champion jockey Paul Hanagan, for example, can hit the scales at a straight eight.

“Sometimes when you have got all that weight to think about, the first thing in the morning you wake up and you are standing on the scales – they are part of your life – watching your weight all the time can be frustrating,” he added.

“I keep my head on the right track. I’m getting plenty of outside rides and the boss keeps putting me up and that’s brilliant. It just keeps me on the straight and narrow.”

He added: “I’ve had a great start. “I didn’t know what it was going to be like, when I was riding as an amateur, and I thought it would be hard to pick up rides.

“But Mark (Furnass, agent) is doing a great job, the owners keep putting me up and people are noticing, which is great.

“I have been with Mr Smart three years in September and he has helped me out a lot. I’m his apprentice now.

“I’m getting to sit on good horses too. It gives me a lot of confidence and I know if I have ever got anything to talk about, he is there.”

Determination has seen him through so far, however, and this great start to his career has given him confidence.

Newman continued: “It would have been a waste of hard work. I have worked too hard to let anything get in my way and stop.

“Hopefully, I can keep doing as well as I can.

“Just riding – whether the horse wins or not – it’s a great atmosphere. I still get this buzz when I get a ride, whether it finishes last or it wins. I try as hard as I can.

“I’m off seven (7lb claim) and had three winners already. It’s all going great.

“I definitely want to continue on the Flat. I have worked too hard. It would be a shame to let it go back up and have to move on again.

“I enjoy my job, it’s a great yard and I have a lot of respect for the boss, the owners and Mark.

“I will be staying there for as long as I can.”