EVEN now, eight years out of the saddle as a professional, the thrill of victory remains intoxicating for George Duffield.

At a time when some men of his age are happy to potter around in the garden, and take in relaxing holidays in suitably warm climes, the 66-year-old rides out up to five lots a day as assistant to his trainer wife Ann at Constable Burton and still harbours thoughts of winning lines and glory.

It’s why he continues to get back into the saddle, recreating those heady days when he rode more than 2,500 winners and took big race victories in the Oaks, the Dante Stakes and the Eclipse among others.

Tomorrow, in front of 70,000 on Grand National Day, Duffield will once again take to the track – as one of the 11 top drawer names invited to ride in the John Smith’s Aintree Legends Charity Race.

Alongside Grand National winning jockeys Tony Dobbin, Carl Llewellyn and Marcus Armytage, the rider-turned-scribe who was the last amateur to win the world’s most famous race, Duffield will also take on former champion jockey Kevin Darley and the recently retired twins Richard and Michael Hills in a contest over one mile and five furlongs to open the card at the Liverpool track.

But Duffield may have an advantage over some of his former colleagues on the level.

“I will probably be the only Flat jockey in the race that has actually ridden a winner around Aintree – on the Flat. I did in the 70s,” he explains. “On National day they used to have two Flat races, I think one was the Union Jack Stakes which used to be a kind of Guineas trial.

“There was also a mile handicap which I was able to win on a filly called Streetcar for Sir Mark Prescott. They used to have Flat racing there on the odd occasion but no one ever turned up. They just knocked it on the head.”

Duffield spent more than 30 years as stable jockey to Prescott and, for many years before his retirement in 2005, was renowned as the oldest jockey in Britain. Popular with punters and well liked in the weighing room, it is no surprise he has found the lure of ‘legend races’ irresistible.

“It’s hard to give up and to let go,” he adds of his efforts at Doncaster in recent years and looking ahead to his Aintree escapade. “You have let go to but it is nice to go back and have another go. When you do it, you forget how fit you were when you were at it full time. I ride out three, four and five lots a day which is probably more than most people of my age.

“There will be no one fitter than me that’s riding in it.

“I think the competitor in all of us will want to win it. I don’t think you ever lose that. That’s why you became a jockey in the first place. You had that competitive edge and you never lose it. I am very much looking forward to it.”

Duffield will be riding Meetings Man, a charge of Micky Hammond who has won on the Flat and over hurdles but whose last victory was more than two-and-a-half years ago. With that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that Aintree’s betting partners, Betfred, have priced up the horse as one of the 25-1 outsiders for the contest.

It’s a quality race, with the likes of prolific winner Rosie’s Lady – trained by David O’Meara at Nawton – and the Cheltenham Festival-appearing King of Dudes among the intended runners. And, as much as he wants to succeed and get his head in front, Duffield is also delighted to be appearing for a wider cause.

His invitation came from Bob Champion, whose charitable trust, has raised millions over three decades to help research into cancer. Champion famously overcame the disease and partnered Aldaniti, who himself survived serious leg injury, to win the National in 1981 in one of the ultimate sporting fairytales.

“It is for a great cause – the Bob Champion Trust – which is a fantastic thing to be doing it for. It is blatantly not about us,” Duffield admits. “It’s about the charity and the cancer research. We are lucky to be part of it.

“It’s nice to be asked – you are invited to ride in it. It is a privilege.”

Aintree won’t be the end of it, either. Duffield is a man on a mission when it comes to Doncaster’s charity contest – held on Town Moor during the St Leger Festival in September – not least because he was so close when pipped to the post last time when Elijah Pepper was mugged by Patriotic in a close finish.

“God willing, I will be at Doncaster,” he said. “I’ve told them I will go again. I’d like to win it before I say enough is enough. Mick Kinane got up by a short head last year. I thought I’d beaten him but he just got the nod.

“I keep knocking on the door and I would just love to win one. Then I could say ‘That’ll do me now. I’ll pack in’. I’m getting on a bit. I’ll be 67 this year but I’ll keep going.”