 Former champion jump jockeys Dick Francis and John Francome have become known to a wider public after enjoying second careers as writers of racing-based fiction, while Francome (until the end of 2012) and Mick Fitzgerald are known as horse racing TV pundits.As of November 2017, there are around 450 professional jockeys licensed in the United Kingdom, along with around 300 amateur riders.The two dominant forces in flat training in Britain in the modern era are Irish-based trainer Aidan O'Brien and Godolphin, through their trainers Saeed Bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby.