Richard Hughes is not only one of horseracing's most successful and talented riders but also one of sport's most unlikely success stories. In the most sensational autobiography ever penned by a jockey, Hughes gives a frank and honest account of a top rider's battle with his own mind and body. Too tall to be a jockey, too heavy to be a jockey but too talented a horseman to be anything else, Hughes talks in detail about how his use of extreme methods to control weight and the descent into prolonged and deep alcoholism that stemmed from his attempts to defy nature. Shocking but also uplifting, A Weight off my Mind is the engrossing story of a man who has overcome extreme personal trauma to become a racing superstar. For fans of racing and readers new to the sport, it offers a turbulent ride.