Despite racing's relatively high profile, only a few of the sport's characters make it to the status of 'household name' - and John McCririck is one of them.
He has been by far the best-known racing broadcaster for a number of years, but it wasn't until his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother recently that he joined Frankie Dettori in reaching out to a wider audience.
McCririck earned affection and revulsion from the public in equal measures for his strong opinions and eccentric behaviour on the reality TV show, but now he is back to his day job as the betting guru for Channel 4 Racing.
A fixture on our screens at the Cheltenham Festival since the channel took over the meeting in 1995, McCririck will be there again this year, relaying information to viewers about which horses are being backed, a task he takes very seriously.
"One of the biggest aspects of the job is responsibility. You are responsible for broadcasting to people who can't get to Cheltenham, people for which the meeting is the highlight of their year," he said.
"It is the greatest race meeting for most people, including myself, and I have been to almost all the big meetings in the world. There is nothing like it."
McCririck will be seen presenting from the betting ring, trying to follow where the money is going and picking up racecourse whispers, and he implores first-time visitors to Cheltenham to pay a visit themselves.
"People must get into the betting jungle, just to experience it," he explained.
"It is human drama and emotion, with competition for prices between punters and bookmakers. The Irish are there, with euros flying about, and huge amounts of noise and hollering.
"My job is not difficult, as you just watch for what the 'faces' are backing. It is hard to move around as there are so many bookies there, and because there is always someone prepared to take a bet, it is very hard to shift a horse's odds in the ring.
"There have been some huge gambles there. I can remember Unsinkable Boxer and Destriero particularly in recent years, and also two years ago when all the favourites kept going in.
"But often you notice that people get too carried away with the atmosphere and the adrenalin, and they forget that a 2-1 shot at Cheltenham is the same as one at Lingfield midweek.
"It is a long week and as I am working I can't drink too much, although I might have one or two. But the key to it is the weather, especially for me being outside much of the time."
McCririck will also be seen in the channel's early show, the Morning Line, pontificating and reviewing the newspapers, and he has an opinion on who will win Tuesday's Smurfit Champion Hurdle.
"I don't really bet, and I am a failed bookmaker, a failed journalist and a failed punter, but I think Back In Front will be hard to beat," he said.
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