Raymond Cox, 58, is a well known vet on the Isle of Man, and the former owner of Milan Veterinary Practice.

He is married to Valerie and they have four children, Caitriona, a doctor who lives in London, Sosanna, who woks in sports management, Patrick, who is studying at Durham University and Sinead, who is still at school.

Ray is the chair of the board for the Home of Rest for Old Horses, and the light horse director for the Manx Agricultural Show.

He was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the Isle of Man Newspapers Awards For Excellence for his commitment and 25-year involvement as race director for the Parish Walk.

What is your idea of a perfect meal?

Sunday roast dinner at the end of a busy day in the garden. Valerie is an excellent cook and we have all the trimmings.

What is your favourite way to relax?

Watching horse racing on the TV on a Saturday afternoon. I record the programme and rewind it to watch the bits I fell asleep for.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Buying an Oakley horse lorry. It is top of the range and seemed a good deal at the time.

Do you have any pets?

We have two Welsh terriers called Maisie and Alfie, who are adorable and hairy but wilful. Sinead has two show jumping horses, Jack and Faye.

What is your greatest achievement?

I won the Irish Universities 3,000m steeplechase in 1984, which was my final year in vet college.

What is your favourite time of the year?

I love the crisp, sharp and clear September mornings. They remind me of my childhood in rural Wexford.

What is the first job you ever had?

I worked as a groom on a stud farm in Lexington, Kentucky during my early college years.

Do you have any irrational fears?

No. Just plenty of rational ones.

What is your worst habit?

Getting cross and frustrated when things are not going well.

What is your favourite book?

’Some experiences of an Irish RM’ by Somerville and Ross. It was given to me by an erudite English lady as a thank-you present for looking after her horses.

What is your favourite TV programme?

Midsomer Murders.

What is your favourite band/artist at the moment?

Back in the day, I liked the Eurythmics.

What is your favourite part of the Isle of Man?

Coming down the Mountain Road and looking out over the northern plain on a sunny day is pretty impressive.

What is the last show/band that you saw live?

Michael Buble in New York.

If time/money were no object, what would be your perfect day?

Going racing at the Cheltenham Festival in March and owning the winner of the Gold Cup or Champion Chase, followed by celebrating the win in the evening.

Choose three people, dead or alive, to invite to dinner?

Valerie’s grandfather, who joined the cavalry, the 6th Iniskilling Dragoons, in 1914, even though he couldn’t ride a horse. He fought at the battle of the Somme. Also the late US President John F Kennedy, whose ancestors came from Dunganstown, near Wexford, where I grew up, and John McEnroe, as I was a big fan of his.