Luke Harvey was born on 28 March 1966 in Bampton, Devon, as the eldest of seven siblings, with his father a West Country farmer.

He left school at 16 to work as a stable lad for Captain Tim Forster, riding in point-to-points before having his first winner as a conditional jockey at Taunton in 1984, the same year he rode a winner at the Cheltenham Festival aged 20, and won the Welsh Grand National on Cool Ground in 1990.

He rode successfully for sixteen seasons, with big race wins also including victories at the Aintree Festival and the Mildmay Memorial Chase at Sandown.

He retired from riding in 1999, having already started working for the Racing Channel in 1998 and Radio 5 Live. This led to his roles presenting on Sky Sports Racing, alongside Alex Hammond, Jason Weaver, Mick Fitzgerald, and others. He also serves as a racing expert for Ladbrokes Coral.