Dan Skelton keeps his cards close to his chest when it comes to the secrets of his success: “I had to learn the hard way, so everyone else can learn the hard way and all!” But a sign hanging on his wall offers a clear insight into the mindset of the newly crowned champion trainer. “I don’t want to be beige,” it reads, and that’s certainly not something of which you could accuse this record-breaking, relentlessly ambitious, convention-defying 41-year-old.

Since establishing Lodge Hill 13 years ago, Dan has propelled his team on an upward trajectory, creating a slick, hugely successful racing behemoth.

Even during those tentative early years, the signs were there that a champion trainer elect was operating from this rural corner of Warwickshire as the winners quickly rolled in. But it was only as recently as 2024 that Dan first came within touching distance of the title, only to be steamrolled by Irish maestro Willie Mullins on the final days of the season for two successive years, in one of the most enthralling battles in racing history.

In sport, you have to suffer the lows to appreciate the highs and, setting the bar even higher last season, Dan amassed a record £5,045,615 in prize money during a relentless 12-month campaign and the curtain came down at Sandown in April with the Alcester handler finally crowned champion.

Surrounded by dozens of his close-knit team, family and friends, Dan was handed the silverware by his former boss Paul Nicholls, a moment he describes as hugely emotional.

“It felt like winning the championship took a long time – it didn’t all come to the door,” offers Dan. “But breaking the £5m barrier was probably the most remarkable achievement. Willie put us into a position where we needed to go somewhere that no one had gone before in order to beat him.

“In hindsight, we should have won the championship that first year Willie beat us, but I didn’t see it coming. It was only having four Cheltenham Festival winners that springboarded us in with a chance; if I had my time again, I would have been better organised. The following year, I was as organised as I could be, we got everything right and he still beat us. But both times he had to win the Grand National – the hardest task in the racing calendar – to do it, so that was phenomenal.

“But look, it just shows that nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes you get beat and if you do, you pull your socks up and go again. I’m not afraid of getting beat – sometimes you learn things from it.

“I grew up around this mentality. I worked for Paul for nine-and-a-half years and every year the objective was to be champion trainer. Before that, my father [Nick Skelton] held this one goal above all else, which was to win an individual Olympic gold medal. So I’ve been motivated by those two things to achieve this,” he says.

Never one to dwell, no matter how mighty the accomplishment, Dan began his first season as champion trainer with another clear statement of intent: he’s going bigger and better than ever. While most jump trainers wind down during the off-season, Dan was out of the traps faster than a whippet back in May, enjoying his most successful summer ever. Even before the calendar shifted into top gear this month, Dan had extended a sizeable lead in this year’s title race, with more than 100 winners and £800,000 in the bank.

A second trainers’ championship is high on the agenda but, moving the goalposts slightly, Dan has set a new target for his team: Operation 244.

Twenty-six years ago, revolutionary jump trainer Martin Pipe saddled a record 243 winners in one season, an astonishing achievement that has never been surpassed. Martin was at the top of his game when Dan entered the racing industry and “the thorn in Paul Nicholls’ side” when the two went toe-to-toe during the early days of Dan’s apprenticeship with the now 14-time champion.

“Martin was the last trainer to gain a massive advantage in the sport,” says Dan. “He thought outside the box; he wasn’t afraid to try new things and he revolutionised fitness. Nowadays we’re all dealing with micro-advantages and marginal gains – I don’t think anyone will have another big swipe like he did. But we’ve all been able to see much further by standing on his shoulders and that’s the ultimate compliment. He changed the sport.

“So I’ve always known about the 243-winner record and, after last year, I thought if we could just strengthen our team with a few select purchases, a nice bunch of summer horses could give us a springboard and we could make this happen.”

Underlining the enormity of it, he cautions, “I think it’s the hardest thing we’ve ever set out to do. We need to stay on the trajectory we’re on, maintaining that consistent standard of winners, for the next eight months.

“It doesn’t give me sleepless nights because we are controlling all the controllables and we’re using all the science and everything else we can to keep the horses healthy. I believe we have the best people behind us and the horses to do it. Sometimes things just come a-knocking and there’s nothing we can do about it. But to achieve it would be incredible and it’s something interesting for the sport to follow too.”

The first signs of a seasonal shift are in the air and the yard is in full throttle when we catch up with Dan in late September. The summer horses are enjoying their final runs just as the winter crew are being ramped up ready to be unleashed.

The network of gallops at Lodge Hill has been topped up, the arenas resurfaced and a new cross-country schooling area built for the youngsters to “enjoy something different”.

A powerful team ethos is central to daily life at Lodge Hill and the backbone to Dan’s success on the track. He estimates to have between 85 and 100 people managing the 170 horses in training over the winter months.

Dan may carry the weight of the world on his shoulders at times but “keeping positivity around the place” is top priority.

“Everyone’s pulling their weight and everyone is oriented around success,” he explains. “The ultimate goal is set and I’ve referred to it as our North Star – it keeps us constant.

“I’m indebted to the team, they’re brilliant. Most of them have been with us for a long time. They get it – they’re passionate, winning people. It’s great to harness that.”

Home-grown jockey Tristan Durrell was crowned champion conditional on the same day Dan earned his trainer’s crown and of course Dan’s “phenomenal” brother Harry, who became one of the top 10 winning-most jump jockeys of all time with his 1,590th winner in August, rakes in the vast majority of Dan’s winners, while also becoming more intrinsically involved in the back-room side of things.

With Dan and Harry currently pole position in both their respective championships, might they accomplish a truly historic double this season?

“When it was possible for Harry to be champion jockey in 2021, I took it as seriously as I could and worked tirelessly to make that happen for him, then he made it happen for me,” says Dan.

The same owners who bought into Dan’s quest for the championship last season are now fully behind Operation 244 as well.

“They’re the most important part. Yes, they have their own horses’ best interests at heart, but they absolutely get behind our team ethos and ambition and enjoy that their horses add into this possibility. That’s something I feel most proud of, most humbled even, as that’s something we’ve worked so hard to create – we’re all in this together,” he says.

“I’m fully aware that having 170 horses to run in the winter makes it one of the biggest strings ever in UK National Hunt racing. But I’m also very confident to say it’s well managed, it’s high quality and nothing gets missed. Our results would suggest that, right?

“It can feel busy at times, but it’s manageable. It makes a healthy, competitive atmosphere.”

Stable stars waiting in the wings include The New Lion, Protektorat and Panic Attack, with multi-Grade One-winning Grey Dawning set to make his seasonal reappearance next month. Younger talent is ready to step up, while Dan believes this season’s team of novice chasers are his best yet.

“We feel very lucky to have a team that can stretch across all formats,” he says.

Talk over the summer has centred around the astronomical sums changing hands in the sale ring and Dan has been the beneficiary of some headline-making purchases, including JP McManus’s €500,000 acquisition Walkonseas. Horses like King George runner-up Il Est Francais have changed yards, and high-profile owners including Harry Redknapp are now investing in the new champion.

Dan’s championship breakthrough feels like the start of a new era of supremacy for the Warwickshire yard; it’s possible even that Martin Pipe’s record as 15-time champion could eventually be smashed.

“The championship is a nice constant to aim for, but it definitely doesn’t feel easier even now we’ve achieved it once,” says Dan. “When you’re behind, you can see the finish line and all you have to do is catch the leader. As soon as you start to make the running, you’re the one to be aimed at and people want to work out how to beat you – you don’t know where the finish line is or even what it looks like. So the dynamics have changed but the focus hasn’t.”

The trophy has pride of place in the kitchen at the home he shares with wife Grace and daughter Flo; a pleasing daily reminder of what he’s achieved. Is obsession too strong a word for life in the Skelton household?

“I’ve not been obsessed with being champion trainer, I’m obsessed with being a trainer and all that entails. I just love what I do,” he says.

“We don’t want to amble through life, we have the foot firmly on the gas and we’re trying to make this something special. We want to be as good as we can be, perhaps break some records and make some people happy along the way; then we can feel that it was all worthwhile.”

Horses to watch this season

Dan says: “We’re lucky to have so many nice horses but these two should really step forward over the next two or three years. They’re young but very talented, so we’re doing everything we can to make them the best they can be.

“They don’t have to be at their best this year. Obviously you can ask them questions and ask them for big performances in big races, but it’s all about building, like we did with Grey Dawning, without overdoing things.”

Maestro Conti

4yo chestnut gelding by Prince Gibraltar out of Valdivia (Samum)

Owners: Hales, Speelman, Mason, Hogarth and Ferguson

Breeder: Patrick Joubert

Best results: won Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle, Cheltenham, 2026, runner-up Triumph Hurdle, Cheltenham Festival 2026

Mydaddypaddy

5yo bay gelding by Walk In The Park out of Debdebdeb (Teofilo)

Owner/breeder: Dermot Hanafin

Best results: hurdle wins at Huntingdon, Carlisle and Haydock, runner-up Formby Novices’ Hurdle, Aintree 2025, third Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham Festival 2026

Harry Meade rides out for Christian Williams, and goes behind the scenes to learn about their routines, management and philosophy

I am always intrigued visiting yards to see how other riders and trainers do things. When I go to a yard to try a young horse, I’ll often get side-tracked in the corner of a stable asking niche questions about their work routine or some other detail.

Christian Williams’ base at Ogmore-by-Sea is a state-of-the-art training
centre, but not in the conventional sense. I was fascinated to discover how his programme has been shaped by the extraordinary south Wales coastline, where the landscape itself provides facilities that many purpose-built yards would struggle to match.

The backdrop is stunning. Overlooked by the 12th-century ruin of Ogmore Castle, the yard is set at the mouth of the River Ewenny as it flows into the Bristol Channel. The beach and sand dunes are dramatic – immortalised in the filming of the desert scenes in Lawrence of Arabia. But as I arrive at the yard, with herds of thoroughbreds grazing in the sandy paddocks, the smell of salt and sea on the warm air of the summer heatwave, the atmosphere is low-key and peaceful.

Inside the indoor barn – which houses about 25 boxes as most of the 45-strong string live out 24/7 – eight horses for the first lot are tied up outside the stables being tacked up. My first impression is how very relaxed they are.

Riding out on the beach – “It’s idyllic”

I’m introduced to my ride, Fever Dream, a chestnut eight-year-old by Sholokhov who has won four races, and legged up.

We walk straight into the River Ewenny, a fast-flowing river reaching nearly up to the horses’ bellies and they stand patiently as we wait for Christian to join us. He often rides out to keep a close eye on his string. Watching him ride, his background as a top National Hunt jockey is obvious. Whatever the pace, his horse works softly into the bridle, relaxed and balanced throughout.

We hack down to the vast expanse of Ogmore beach along a couple of miles of sandy tracks, at one point climbing up a dune and then very steeply down in super-deep dry sand.

While horses tend to prop walking down firm or wet grass, on this deep sand they tilt their pelvises and tuck their quarters under, striding down like a panther. It’s only a short stretch, but it strikes me what a terrific natural feature it is from an athletic perspective – more beneficial for the horses’ backs than any physio session.

The beach was idyllic – you can see why Christian has little problem finding staff. We canter slowly in three huge circles. The sand rides in an identical fashion to the deep Wexford sand that has served the likes of Willie Mullins and countless Irish trainers so well. It’s wet, so it’s not loose, but deep so the horses work hard at a steady pace. Even better, it’s groomed daily by the tide.

The horses work hard, and recover by wading into the sea, walking and trotting along the shallow surf. Like a natural water treadmill, it’s beneficial for building up their strength and topline without concussion but with constant resistance.

They call the route back to the yard the “rollercoaster”. It winds around narrow, snaking tracks, almost like goat paths, which we canter along.

Christian’s father ran a trekking centre from his yard, so he grew up spending seven hours a day taking English tourists for beach rides. He knows these paths so well and it does feel like some sort of extreme trekking experience riding top-class racehorses.

You can’t go fast because of the complexity of the paths: 18-inch wide sand gullies carved into the long grass with banks keeping you in. You’re constantly weaving, going up and down, so both the horse and rider have to be incredibly well balanced, switching leads and adjusting to the rapidly changing inclines, which are at times extreme, almost a white-knuckle ride – it’s brilliant.

It impresses me how, when we get to the twistier bits, the horses stay in this relaxed, collected canter – it’s working every muscle in their body with terrific engagement and relaxation. It’s a constant challenge on the horse’s ability to find first gear and not let the engine drop out. I feel like I’m riding a high-class polo pony – never strong, and able to manoeuvre, open up and close down.

I love how this kind of work gives the horses something to think about without any kind of mental stress. Besides being supple, balanced and relaxed, it requires tremendous mental concentration as the horses think where to put their feet. It’s far from demoralising – it’s a decent workout and it’s fun. I’d imagine strong horses settle quickly here.

Next, we come to a fascinating sporting landmark – the Big Dipper. This is like a ski piste of deep soft sand, which levels out at the bottom. Here, what looks like a group of professional athletes are limbering up to run up the slope. There’s a tyre on a harness ready for action. It looks gruelling. Christian tells me that this is a well-known natural training area, where Olympic sprinters Linford Christie and Colin Jackson, and other track athletes, boxers and rugby teams used to do conditioning work.

Before sport became institutionalised with the likes of Loughborough and Bisham Abbey created as centres of excellence, many athletes used to come here on training camps and take advantage of the sand and steep inclines – just as Christian is doing for his equine athletes.

Christian doesn’t have all-weather gallops, horse walkers, covered rides or indoor schools. Yet his outfit is like a bespoke training centre with a wonderful variety of natural facilities, with both fitness and therapeutic benefits.

If I imagine a blank canvas to create a state-of-the art yard where everything could be sculpted to provide the changing gradients and surfaces that are best for horses’ fitness and welfare, you’d base a lot of that on what Christian has. He has the rollercoaster undulations of the dunes, the long straights and Wexford sand circles on the beach; the sea and rivers work as swimming pools, cold water spas and water treadmills.

They have all that on their doorstep and can incorporate it incidentally into their programme with little effort.

Turnout, feed and rugging

Back at the yard, the horses are hosed off before being turned out naked, in groups of seven.

My horses also spend most of their time out in the field, but in individual paddocks. Ours have horses all around them, but they each have a corridor between them and the horse next door as I worry about kicks and preventable injuries. Christian says that they rarely get kicks, but any that do would be stabled more and go out in smaller, separate paddocks on their own.

The horses are fed outside from individual tubs. Christian’s brother and assistant trainer Nicky explains that they know their hierarchy and all line up in a queue at feeding time according to their order, without fighting. They’re on sand – apparently you can walk in the fields in your slippers in the middle of winter – so the horses can go out in all weathers, well rugged as necessary.

There’s a negligible amount of grass, just enough to pick at but without the worry of them blowing up on lush grass in the spring. I’d imagine they get most of their nutrition from their bucket feed and haylage (which is made locally and smells delicious).

It’s a nice connection that Christian and I both feed D&H, and we chat about the benefits. His horses look outstanding – they are fit, but well conditioned with unsurprisingly good toplines in keeping with the kind of work they are doing.

Finally, we head up to a huge field on a hill overlooking the sea that Christian rents off a local farmer for his summering horses. This is on limestone soil, which not only has great drainage and grass cover, but has natural mineral benefits too.

There must be about 30 horses here – shoes off, sun-bleached coats – enjoying their last few days of holiday before it’s time to move back to the yard and start their fitness work ready for the National Hunt season.

Christian walks around the herd, picking out a few superstars such as Kitty’s Light – winner of the Scottish National and nearly half a million in prize money. Another is six-year-old House Of Habsburg – a big, strapping type who’s won his last three races and is tipped for the top.

I think that I’d like to live at Christian’s yard if I were a horse. My overall impression is that they’re both mentally and physically relaxed and enjoy their work – no doubt due to living out the whole time and being in full, varied and mentally stimulating work. It seems inconceivable that a horse could be unhappy in its work here.

It’s not brass knobs and marble troughs, but if you were going to design a training centre from scratch with nothing but the horses’ welfare and athletic development in mind, you’d wish for something remarkably similar.

But this outlier on the Welsh coast is a one-off that, sure as anything, money cannot buy.

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Ian Balding, who trained the great Mill Reef and is remembered for his “towering legacy”, has died aged 87.

Park House Stables in Kingsclere, where Mr Balding trained before his son, Andrew, took on the licence in 2002, shared the news today (2 January).

“A wonderful family man, a hugely successful racehorse trainer and a brilliant sportsman. He will be greatly missed by all at Park House,” read the tribute.

Mr Balding studied at Cambridge, achieving a blue for rugby in 1961, and had success as an amateur jockey in his youth, notably winning the National Hunt Chase at the 1963 Cheltenham Festival.

He established his training career at his Kingsclere yard the following year and had numerous Group winners. The most famous of these was the legendary Mill Reef, owned by Paul Mellon, who Mr Balding trained to win the 1971 Derby, to break the Sandown Park track record in the Eclipse Stakes, win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot by six lengths and become the first British-trained winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for 23 years.

Mr Balding’s daughter, top sports broadcaster Clare Balding, said: “My dad was one of a kind. Fearless, funny and charming, he was an all-round sportsman, a great trainer and a beautiful horseman.

“He loved his dogs, his horses and his family – probably in that order. He shared with me his passion for sport and taught me to be brave enough to chase a dream, even if it seemed impossible. We’ll miss him so much.”

Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), said Mr Balding “leaves a towering legacy for our sport”.

“Such is his significance that no telling of the history of racing would be complete without recognition of the enormous contribution he made,” he said.

“From his legendary Kingsclere base, he nurtured generations of equine and human talent, enjoying tremendous success along the way with unforgettable stars like Mill Reef.

“He is a man who will be remembered with tremendous affection and respect across our industry, and one whose impact will continue to be felt for many years to come.

“On this sad day, all of us at the BHA extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Ian Balding.”

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This afternoon (7 April), racehorse trainer Milton Harris celebrated his first Grade One winner when Knight Salute won the four-year-old juvenile hurdle at the Grand National meeting at Aintree Racecourse. Here, we find out a little bit more about him…

1. Milton Harris has a license to train both Flat and National Hunt (jump) racehorses.

2. He first started training in 2001, when based in the Cotswolds. He now trains out of a yard near Warminster in Wiltshire, which he moved to in 2018.

3. Milton didn’t have a traditional route into racing – he grew up in a council flat in Bromsgrove and it was only while working as a barman that he first got into racing when he saw pub-goers putting on bets.

4. He then went to Miami to work as a bartender on cruise ships – he acted as the ship’s bookmaker while there too.

5. He had a seven-year break from racing between 2011 and 2018 after declaring bankruptcy.

6. Milton sent out his first winner as a trainer in 2001.

7. Since regaining his trainer’s licence in 2018, Milton has trained 82 National Hunt winners. This season he is enjoying his most successful period as a trainer, with 52 winners so far – his previous best period was during the 2010/11 season, when he sent out 32 winners.

Keep up to date with all of Horse & Hound’s Grand National coverage this week via horseandhound.co.uk, where you will be able to read all of the latest news and features on the three-day meeting at Aintree.

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Mark Johnston has become Britain's winningmost trainer after Poet’s Society won at York’s Ebor Festival yesterday (23 August), taking his total tally of wins to an incredible 4,194.

He had been sitting level with Richard Hannon Senior’s previous record of 4,193.

Here are some interesting facts about the country’s most successful trainer to date…

1. Written in the stars: He was born in Scotland in 1959 and got his love of racing from his father, who owned racehorses. From the age of 14, Mark knew he was destined to become a racehorse trainer.

2. He is also a vet: Mark is unique within the training ranks because he is also a qualified vet. A young Mark put his training dream on temporary hold to complete his studies. On qualifying, he worked in a veterinary practice for three years.

His current training yard is the only one in the country to employ two full-time vets — in addition to Mark himself — and all their costs are covered in the daily training fees.

3. Family life: In 1985, he married his childhood sweetheart, Deirdre, who is now his assistant trainer. Together they have two sons, Charlie and Angus — Charlie is also his assistant trainer.

4. His first winner: Mark purchased his first training yard in 1986, which was in Lincolnshire. He was granted a trainer’s licence in 1987 and sent out his first winner, Hinari Video, that summer. During the 1994 season, Mark enjoyed his first century of winners.

5. An impressive tally: For 22 consecutive Flat seasons, Mark has trained more than 100 winners, including success in Classics and numerous Group One races.

He has also won the 1,000 Guineas (Attraction in 2004) and the 2,000 Guineas (Mister Baileys in 1994), the Ascot Gold Cup three times and the Goodwood Cup five times.

6. Top-class facilities: In 1988, Mark and Deirdre moved to Middleham where they bought the Kingsley House yard. It was to be the start of a flourishing training career that has gone from strength-to-strength.

The set up has been extended to a further two yards, set amid the stunning Yorkshire Dales and offering hi-tech equipment for the horses and some of the finest facilities in the country.

The facilities include three separate grass gallops, plus an all-weather gallop; an equine swimming pool; covered horse walkers, five lunge rings, weighbridges and practise starting stalls, all set in 270 acres of land.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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Life as an investment banker in London could not be further from the rolling hills of the Herefordshire countryside. One person who knows that all too well is City slicker-turned-racehorse trainer Ed de Giles.

Having spent 15 years in the Big Smoke, Ed decided to swap a suit for a pair of wellies eight years ago — returning to the life he’d previously known when serving his racing apprenticeship in Lambourn, aka the Valley of the Racehorse.

Over the years he has been growing his yard and now boasts a string of 30 horses, as well as top-class facilities which include an equine swimming pool, two gallops and a treadmill.

“I spent two years as assistant trainer to Nick Gaselee in Lambourn over the Party Politics era when he won the Grand National in 1992,” says Ed. “Then I went to the City to go and earn my fortune — which I didn’t do! The money I did earn, I have come to spend here very rapidly and we are enjoying it while we do it.”

As a former racehorse owner himself, Ed knows the realities of being an owner in the racing game.

“Whilst training is a lovely way of life, it is a business and you have to try and make it work. I was an owner in the City for a long time and I know what it is like to have the bills landing on your table every month, while the horse is not doing anything,” he says.

“You keep paying and nothing is coming back, so I try and have a plan for all these horses and try and have an exit strategy if the owner wants it. There will be some owners who might want to get a return out of the horse, so we try and sell in the blue with the horses and leave a little bit for the next man. If we do well, owners will reinvest and we have done very well in the past with horses we have sold.”

For Ed, it is a proven tactic that has worked in the past for both him and his owners; in 2014 Kashmiri Sunset was sold for 150,000 guineas — having been purchased for just 13,000 guineas two years earlier. While, Break Rank sold for 115,000guineas just over a year after being bought for 34,000 guineas. 

His 75-acre base near Ledbury is the perfect environment for racehorses.

“We have a lot of turnout paddocks — where the horses can be turned out after exercising, so they can let their heads down and relax,” says Ed.

“I think mentally for these horses, it is very important to let them out rather than them being cooped up all the time, so we try to get most of the horses out every day.”

The 50-metre equine swimming pool is also a brilliant addition to the facilities.

“It’s great, particularly for Flat horses who are often getting various niggles and problems — especially with running on fast ground, which puts quite a hammering on their knees and fetlock joints,” explains Ed. “They can continue training in their pool, as you can swim a lame horse and he might become sound in two weeks or so.

“We have got everything we want here to be able to do the job and it seems to be working,” he concludes.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Buying a thoroughbred from the sales ring and turning it into a top-class racehorse is no simple feat for a racehorse trainer — it takes hard-work, commitment and some perseverance.

Olympic gold medal-winning athlete Denise Lewis witnesses this first-hand when she goes behind-the-scenes at the renowned racing yard of Sir Michael Stoute in Newmarket — racing’s headquarters in Suffolk — and finds out what the winning formula really is.

“The more time I spend with these incredible athletes, the more I love the sport,” says Denise, who owns racehorses as part of a syndicate.

“Being able to go behind-the-scenes with one of the biggest names in the racing and discover just how these incredible equine athletes train, recover and prepare for big races is what I love the most,” she says.

Continued below…

A day in the life of champion trainer Paul Nicholls *PICTURES*

With around 120 horses in residence at Manor Farm Stables in Somerset, it’s a 24-7 job for Champion National Hunt

So what does it take to produce a champion racehorse?

“It’s a very long and slow process,” says 10-times champion trainer Sir Michael. “After being bought at the sales it is about four or five weeks before we ride them.

“Then there is a lot of trot work before we canter them. It is a very steady progression and takes observation. Science is being introduced into racehorse training, but there is a lot of intuition and horsemanship,” he adds.

“As an athlete I understand the attention to detail and care that goes into training. Speaking with Sir Michael about the training process really emphasised for me the similarities between my own training and that of a racehorse,” says Denise.

“There is a whole team working together to ensure the horse — as an athlete — is in the best possible condition come raceday and the excitement around big days like QIPCO British Champions Day is palpable. It’s these similarities with my own experience that have really drawn me to horse racing,” she adds.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Contrary to what you might think reading the newspapers, it’s not all about Cheltenham.

The most valuable race at Sandown on Saturday 31 January went to Invicta Lake, trained on the old racecourse at Lewes, East Sussex by Suzy Smith, 38. She is no stranger to success at Royal Ascot or near misses at Cheltenham, and punches above her weight with her 20-horse string.

You started out as a riding instructor — that’s a slightly alternative route into racing?

I was brought up in Epsom and started riding out on weekends and holidays from the age of 14. I soon became hooked and knew then exactly what I wanted to be — a trainer. My mum was an English teacher and dad a financial adviser. I’ve completely converted him now and he’s even selling shares in horses for me. However, at the time they thought I should have a qualification I could fall back on if it didn’t work out, so I took the exams between 16 and 18.

How did you transfer to racing?

A few trainers recommended I do the course at the National Stud. There was no Darley Flying Start then so it was the National or Irish National Stud courses. It was as high as you could go and I’d recommend it to anyone starting out.

What were your first jobs?

I worked for Gardie Grissell and spent a summer with John Hammond in Chantilly. My French is OK — I can still just about make myself understood. When I came back I assisted the late Denis Caro and then Clive Bennett with his pointers. He gave me almost a free rein, which really helped. But I had set myself a target of training aged 25 and that’s what I did. I had five horses and did it all myself.

What horse gave you your big break?

I was very lucky to have Material World, who won a bumper at Market Rasen in my first season. She became well known because she had one eye. She was second in the Pertemps at Cheltenham, beaten by half a length.

Aimigayle, another mare, was also second at the Festival, while I suppose our biggest winner was Missoula in the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2008. So we’ve done well with mares.

Invicta Lake is out of a half-sister to Material World and cost only €6,000 (£4,500). If I have a relation of hers at that price I can always sell it. Dad is now selling shares in Material World’s offspring.

Lewes racecourse — could they copy Great Leighs/Chelmsford and turn it back into a racecourse?

I doubt it now. The grandstands have been turned into houses and the middle of the course is now woodland. It can get very windy up here and the people I’ve spoken to who raced there all remember it as bitterly cold. Now Jim Best, Mark Hoad and I train here. Gerry Enright did until he retired last weekend.

Are you married?

No, but I live with my partner of 14 years, Sergio Gordon-Watson, a nephew of the bloodstock agent Charlie Gordon-Watson. He’s a big part of the operation. I have no children but two lurchers, Lurch and Trixy.

Cheltenham seems to be on everyone’s mind. Is it on yours for Invicta Lake?

No. We might go to Liverpool instead but I don’t usually go to the big meetings just for days out, only if we have a chance.

Hobbies?

Not much in the winter. I don’t really get much time for anything other than socialising with friends.

What was the last book you read?

The Psychopath Test. It’s not what it sounds. I was recommended it and would do the same.

If we gave you tickets to a concert tonight who would you see?

Coldplay.

Holiday destinations?

Anywhere in France and there’s a place we’ve been back to a few times in Cuba.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 5 February 2015

Irish racehorse trainer Philip Fenton has been banned from the sport for three years.

Last month (23 October) he was found guilty of eight charges of possessing banned drugs — including two anabolic steroids.

The trainer appeared in court in Co. Tipperary last month (23 October) and was fined a total of €6,000 plus €4,200 in costs.

And at a hearing on Saturday (22 November) Mr Fenton was banned by the Irish Turf Club after he pleaded guilty to three charges, including bringing the sport into disrepute.

His trainer’s licence will be suspended from Friday (28 November).

However, the organisation will allow him to be an “attendee” at race meetings until 1 March to let him “wind down his business”.

He has seven days to appeal.

The drugs were seized from his Garryduff yard on 18 January 2012 by the Irish Department of Agriculture.

During the case the court heard that officers found two anabolic steroids — a 1kg tub of Nitrotain (containing ethylestranol) and smaller amount of Ilium Stanabolic (containing stanozolol) — in a box under a horse rug near the medicines cabinet.

Mr Fenton did not give evidence at the court. The charges were made in February this year, prior to the Cheltenham Festival, but the case was adjourned twice.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) went to Ireland on 26 February to interview the trainer and test his horses, but on 5 March it was confirmed that the investigation “found no evidence that Fenton’s Cheltenham-entered horses had been administered with anabolic steroids” and the horses were cleared to run.

The trainer has saddled many major winners including Dunguib in the 2009 Cheltenham bumper and Last Instalment in the 2014 Hennessey Gold Cup at Leopardstown.

Last year Goldolphin trainer Mahmood al Zarooni was banned by the BHA for eight years, after he was found to have given anabolic steroids to racehorses at his yard.

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Follow the highs and lows of Strong Hurricane, aka 'Harry', as he prepares for his point-to-point debut under Lizzie’s careful eye

Hello,

I am Lizzie Luxton (pictured below right), 25-years-old, from Devon and welcome to my H&H blog! I spend my summer eventing and train point-to-pointers in the winter.

I’ve evented to two-star level and was crowned south west junior regional novice (JRN, now known as ONu18) champion in 2005. I then rode in point-to-points for three seasons, picking up a winner on my third ride, and I loved it. I then unfortunately broke my collarbone in a fall and lost my confidence. I really enjoy training horses, though, and I’m still more than happy eventing, so this works for me.

The subject of my blog over the next few months is Strong Hurricane — or Harry to his mates (pictured top out hunting with my sister-in-law, Jo Luxton). Harry is a beautiful black gelding by Zagreb, out of a Strong Gale mare called Jane Bond. He is now seven-years-old and was bought out of Ireland from Ascot Sales in October 2013. He is owned by my dad, Steve, and Mike Clark.

Harry was really poor when he arrived; covered in rainscald and sores — so a trip to the beauty parlour was first on the agenda. This was much to Harry’s disgust.

We quickly discovered his absolute disdain at being brushed anywhere on his body — especially his head. Cue lots of standing on stools and nine times out of 10 being knocked off them.

Following lots of TLC, Harry is now a happier being altogether. He still hates having a brush near his head, but he’s generally more coherent about it. He is strong — strong-willed and strong to ride! So while I normally use Jo Buck as a jockey, we’ve decided that in the best interests of everyone involved, Harry will be ridden by Will Biddick.

Will and I have known each other for more years than we can remember and I love to watch him ride; it will be a great thrill to send a runner out with him on board.

The plan is for Harry to have his first run before Christmas and this blog will give you an insight to how he gets there, the highs and the lows (please not too many of them).

He had good form when he came over from Ireland and although he missed last season with a small injury, I’m quite convinced it was nature’s way of saying give him time to get fat and be a proper horse.

Now it’s full steam ahead for the impending season!

Lizzie

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The likelihood of them finishing the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon in under 10 hours looks like longer odds than Foinavon.

But the self-confessed plodders that make up the Qatar Racing London marathon team are certainly sporting.

Of the 7 trainers running with their boss, Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, only his bloodstock agent, David Redvers, seems to have run for anything other than last orders before. He’s completed the marathon 3 times.

When the proposal was mooted, said David: “we were treated to as many updates of ailments affecting the trainers as we receive about the horses in their care”.

David Simcock hopes to get round in under 5 hours — but they might need the blinkers for the others.

“I never said I’d run all of it,” grumbled Richard Hannon jnr.

Andrew Balding’s “training” programme was exposed when Ralph Beckett tweeted a picture of him — enjoying a gasper.

And Robert Cowell reports he’s “up to 2½ miles without stopping”. Well done, Robert. That’s only 23½ to go.

➤ The Qatar team are running on behalf of Racing Welfare

This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (6 February, 2014)

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The Epsom-based trainer died on 14 March aged 50 at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey. He had been ill for some time.

Mr Akehurst trained many notable winners, including Royal Ascot Wokingham Stakes winner Capricho, and had some success as an amateur jockey before getting a trainer’s licence in 1990.

His funeral will be held tomorrow (30 March) in Leatherhead.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (29 March 2012)

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A 1,000-strong congregation packed out Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral last week (15 November) to celebrate the life of Ginger McCain.

Owners, trainers and jockeys past and present paid tribute to the man who won the Grand National four times.

His relationship with Red Rum did much to rescue the race when it was in the doldrums in the1970s.

Ginger’s widow Beryl said: “It was absolutely fantastic, memorable and wonderful. The cathedral was full.”

His son Donald had been concerned that it was too large a venue. “When Aintree said they wanted to come here, the first thing I said was ‘Will enough people turn up?’

“They told me off for being stupid,” he added.

Richard Pitman gave an address, as did former commentator and Ginger’s old friend Jonathan Turner.

As friends and family filed out, the organist played the Bob Hope song Thanks For

the Memories.

Channel 4 racing’s Alastair Down told H&H why he made the pilgrimage to Merseyside.

“Ginger was a living monument to political incorrectness and no loss to the diplomatic corps,” he said.

“But his handling of Red Rum leaves lovers of the horse forever in his debt. In those five years [in which he won three times and came second twice], he reconnected the general public with the horse.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (24 November 2011)

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Walter Swinburn has sent out his last runners as a trainer and is handing in his training licence at the end of the month.

The three-time Derby-winning jockey, who saddled his first Royal Ascot winner in June with Julienas in the Royal Hunt Cup, announced his retirement last month, citing economic reasons after his father-in-law Peter Harris, for whom he was a salaried trainer, stepped back from the business.

But he may return to training again in the future. “Nothing has been ruled in, and nothing has been ruled out,” he told H&H.

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (27 October, 2011)

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The body that represents racehorse trainers is trying to establish how often horses are spooked by low-flying military aircraft – after one of its members suffered what she believes was a “deliberate” attack.

Ann Duffield and her husband, George – the former top Flat jockey – were on the gallops near their Sun Hill yard in North Yorkshire on 9 September when they spotted a Chinook helicopter approaching their string.

“George said ‘God, he’s coming right at them’,” she told H&H.

“The pilot circled the first five [horses in the string] then came back and hovered over the second bunch who were going up the hill, panicking the horses.”

Mrs Duffield said the “gung ho” pilot – from RAF Odiham in Hampshire – then dipped below a nearby farmhouse, before flying over the horses again “as low as he possibly could, maybe 50 feet above us.

“It was indescribable – the noise was unbelievable,” she said.

Mrs Duffield said the pilot’s actions “left jockeys hanging on to neckstraps for dear life”.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed it is investigating.

Rupert Arnold, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation (NTF), said it was “almost unbelievable” that the pilot could have been acting deliberately.

“But one wonders if official guidelines are being breached by pilots with their own agenda,” he added.

He is asking riders to report their experiences, in an attempt to establish the scale of the problem.

“If it turns out these incidents are frequent, then we have a basic systematic problem,” he said. “We will then make representations to the MOD on behalf of the whole equestrian sector.”

If you wish to report an incident of low-flying, contact the NTF, tel: 01488 71719 or email: info@racehorsetrainers.org

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (29 September, 2011)

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Leading Scottish jumps trainer Peter Monteith has been found dead at his home.

Mr Monteith was found dead at his yard in Rosewell, Midlothian last night (Sunday 21 November).

The 61-year-old was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Lothian and Borders police said that emergency services were called out last night. “While enquiries are at an early stage there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances at this time,” said a spokesman.

Mr Monteith had three runners at Kelso earlier that day. He had had four winners this season.

The racing world is paying tribute to the trainer with owner David Johnson calling his death a “huge loss to racing”.

Mick Fitzgerald told At The Races Mr Monteith was “a stalwart of Scottish racing” describing him as a “gentleman”.

And jockey Wilson Renwick wrote on Twitter: “The man was a legend. I’ll miss him massively.”

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Former Irish trainer Paddy Mullins has died aged 91.

Paddy, who was based in Co Kilkenny, died on Thursday 28 October.

The father of current trainers Willie, Tony and Tom, Paddy was famous for sending out Dawn Run — the only horse ever to win both the Champion Hurdle (1984) and Cheltenham Gold Cup (1986).

He also won the Irish Oaks with Vintage Tipple in 2003 and Hurry Harriet in the 1973 Champion Stakes at Newmarket.

He retired aged 86.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (4 November, ’10)

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A long-running row between farmers and racehorse trainers in the Yorkshire town of Middleham should soon be resolved by the results of a public inquiry that took place earlier this month.

The centuries-old dispute erupted again last year following a decision by the trainers to erect a fence to prevent sheep wandering across the gallops.

Middleham Trainers Association erected the fence following a series of near misses involving racehorses and sheep and an incident last year in which a horse and rider were injured when sheep walked in front of a string of horses.

But the 15 trainers who use the North Yorkshire gallops put up the fence without planning permission — and were told to take it down after a local farmer complained.

The association is now seeking retrospective permission for 1.1 miles of mesh fencing on 54 acres of the moor, which runs to 356 acres.

Trainer Mark Johnston said it made no sense for sheep worth £50 to endanger horses worth millions of pounds.

“We are responsible for 115 employees. We put £2.5m into the local economy and we can’t take those sort of risks,” he said. “Having sheep walk in front of horses travelling at 40mph could result in serious injury.”

Mr Johnston has “reluctantly” applied for permission to build his own private all-weather gallops on a nearby farm — a move which would take over 200 horses off the moor and drastically reduce the annual fee of £30,000 which the trainers currently pay to the town council to use the gallops.

“I don’t want to leave the moor,” he added. “But we can’t continue like this.”

But farmer Rodney Tennant who grazes sheep on the moor says the fence breaches locals’ rights as common-land holders and is demanding it be removed.

“The trainers have unlawfully annexed a huge section of the moor,” he said.

The row is a reminder of the friction that has existed between farmers and trainers on the moor down the centuries. In 1873 racing at Middleham ceased for a time after a dispute between the two sides.

The result of the inquiry, held on 11-12 March, is anticipated in the next two months.

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Michael Dickinson has been honoured for a lifetime’s contribution to the sport of horse racing.

The recently retired trainer was given the Sir Peter O’Sullevan annual racing award in London yesterday, at a ceremony that raised more than £200,000 for charity.

Michael Dickinson made his name as a jump trainer in Britain by winning three trainers’ Championships, sending out 12 winners in one day and training the first five horses home in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, headed by Bregawn.

His move to America in 1987 did nothing to thwart his success; he saddled Da Hoss to win two runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1996 and 1998.

At yesterday’s lunch attended by around 480 people, Michael received a perpetual bronze in the shape of Sir Peter’s own racing binoculars.

Sir Peter O’Sullevan’s award has raised over £1.5 million in the past ten years. These funds have been divided between the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre, Racing Welfare, Blue Cross, Compassion in World Farming, the Brook and International League for the Protection of Horses.

Michael Dickinson is in good company; previous winners of the award have included the Queen and the Queen Mother, Lester Piggott, Dick Francis and the Agha Khan.

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Michael Dickinson, the trainer responsible for the first five horses home in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, has retired.

The 57-year-old, who has been based in Maryland in the United States since 1987, plans to concentrate on his Tapeta racing surface, which has been used on several racecourses in America and at the Al Quoz training centre in Dubai.

Dickinson was champion amateur national hunt jockey before turning his attention to training in 1980. Regarded as a perfectionist, he won the jumps trainers’ championship three times in just four seasons, and sent out 12 winners on Boxing Day 1982. But his place in the record books was cemented in March 1983, when Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House followed each other home at Cheltenham.

He then accepted Robert Sangster’s offer to train for him at Manton on a new, purpose-built, no-expenses-spared training facility, and great things were expected. But it did not work, and the pair parted company after a disastrous first season. He then went to America and continued to train on the flat.

His biggest successes were Da Hoss’s two Breeders’ Cup Mile wins in 1996 and 1998.

But Michael Dickinson, the man known as the “mad genius”, will always be best remembered for his Cheltenham feat, which earned him a Guinness Book of Records entry and was voted the Racing Post’s greatest training feat of all time.

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Find a yard, get some horses and make them win. At least, that’s the theory.

“First of all you have to find a place to train from, to rent or buy,” says up-and-coming racehorse trainer Harry Dunlop. “Then you have to see how affordable it would be, and create a business plan.

“While this is going on, or beforehand, you must do three courses at the British Racing School (BRS). Module one is racehorse management, which includes health and safety and things like gallops. Module two is business skills and compiling business plans, which is incredibly important.

“Unless you are very rich, you are going to need a loan, and you need to make a rational plan of how life is going to be for the next three years. Some people don’t realise how much capital you’ve got to put down, and the lecturers on the course don’t frighten you, but they do make it realistic. I think some people do a double take — is it really the right road?

“And module three is staff management — how to employ them, national insurance, payslips, registering staff, incentives to keep them and so on.

“You also need to do your NVQ Level Three, which is looking after horses — Pony Club stuff.

“Then you have your interview at the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA). You need to submit an application for a licence to train with your business plan, letters from people you have worked for, character references, letters from two potential owners who are definitely going to send you horses, and you have to have proof that eight to 10 horses are definitely coming to your yard, along with a copy of your lease.

“You have got to have worked for a licensed trainer for two or three years. Then inspectors from the HRA come and visit you, to screen you and make sure you are capable of starting training. The process is very good at highlighting all aspects of what you are taking on.

“That official first day as a trainer, seeing those horses’ heads over the door and knowing that you are responsible for them, is very exciting and fairly nerve-racking. But we’ve got great staff and an excellent headman in Phil Wright.”

This information formed part of a larger feature on Harry Dunlop in Horse & Hound. Read the feature in full in the current issue (23 November, ’06) on sale now.