'Fancy dress? You won't catch me dressing up' Inside the mind of Ascot's chief executive Charles Barnett.

Byline: Charles Barnett

When a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I remember one birthday when I was small blowing the candles out on my cake, I made a wish that one day I would be a jockey. That would have been before I'd ridden a pony.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? Never fill in a questionnaire! Who would play you in a film of your life? Peter O'Toole in his younger days (so I am told). I do like the Lawrence of Arabia era.

What's your favourite journey? Any journey taking me away on holiday.

Do you think there is too much racing in Britain? If you want to improve the quality end, you need to be careful not to flood the public with too much at the lower end. But it boils down to whether you are getting decent field sizes and how much levy it generates.

Field sizes are good, which suggests there isn't too much.

What is important is the coverage - high-quality racing should get the vast majority of coverage.

If there was one thing you could change about your life, what would it be? I could have worked abroad, possibly Hong Kong, but I had an interesting job in London. I wish I had taken the opportunity - it would have been fascinating.

What's your favourite/least favourite racecourse? Wherever I'm working at the time/I don't really have a least favourite.

What's your favourite sport outside racing? Cricket and tennis in summer, football and rugby in winter. American football on TV.

Sum yourself up in five words I'd never dream of doing this, but the staff in the office came up with: intelligent, handsome, charming, unflappable, self-deprecating.

What was the last film you saw? Atonement - I didn't think it great.

What was the last book you read? Frost-Nixon. I believe the film is better than the book..

Give us a playlist of your favourite songs (and artists) No Secrets (Carly Simon); The Last Time (The Rolling Stones); Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (The Beatles).

What's your idea of a perfect Sunday? A nice lunch at home with friends, and I'd try to squeeze a bit of gardening in as well.

Is racing cleaner than it was 20 years ago? Yes. There's a lot more information coming through, largely through betting exchanges.

Give us a horse to keep an eye on The Royal Ascot Racing Club has a three-year-old colt called Advisor in training with Michael Bell - I'm told he's one to watch for.

What was the best day of your racing life? Monday, April 7, 1997 - the Grand National that was delayed two days because of a bomb scare. It was very tense and there were difficult moments, including when I had to tell such formidable characters as Jenny Pitman and David Nicholson they were not to move from where they were. I couldn't believe the numbers who queued to get in, and it was a triumph for everyone; there were many unsung heroes, people who worked right through from the Saturday to Monday..

Who's your favourite horse ever? Denver, my hunter for the last 15 years. I also have Chives and Aghawadda Gold, two really good chasers in their day.

What would be your specialist subject on Mastermind? Trials and tribulations of the 1997 National.

Dogs or cats? Dogs. I have two lurchers, Molly and Myrtle.

Favourite holiday destination - in Britain and abroad Uist in the Outer Hebrides for the beaches and fishing. I don't go abroad often now, but I'd choose Africa.

Best/worst subjects at school Poor at English/best at history, I still enjoy historical books.

You're invited to a fancy-dress party - what will you go as? You won't catch me dressing up! What football/rugby/cricket team do you support? I've supported Manchester United since before Munich. Other than that, the national team in every sport.

What superstitions do you have? I do tend to salute single magpies.

What would you choose as your last meal? I would dine in the Parade Ring restaurant on the Thursday of Royal Ascot. Steve Golding, the head chef, is wonderful..

Aside from the prize-money issue, what is the first big decision you would make if you took over racing? I'd do whatever it takes to unite the different sectors in the racing and betting industries. But I have detected more cohesion.

What is the strangest/funniest thing you have ever seen on a racecourse? I couldn't possibly tell you some of the things I have seen at Aintree, you wouldn't believe it.

But at Royal Ascot a couple of years ago, a woman walked into the reception wearing nothing but a tailcoat borrowed from a man.

Who'd be your four ideal dinner party guests? Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy and, while I don't know whether he'd be allowed to bring Marilyn Monroe, I'd invite her anyway. That just leaves someone to sit next to Churchill - let's go with Sophia Loren.

What's the worst thing anyone's said to you? A police chap calling Aintree to tell of a bomb threat.

What keeps you awake at night? Little things - how I'm going to pay bills. I'll often forget to do something and remember it in the middle of the night, so I keep a pad by the bed to write it down.

When I look in the morning I wonder what the fuss was about..