The Bearded Jockey

Why do you love horse racing?

 

For many, the draw of racing is the social aspect; a big day out and an excuse to have a few beers. For others, the sport is all about gambling; the pursuit of profit or the thrill of a flutter.

 

For me, my love of racing stems from a passion for the Thoroughbred itself. As Sir Winston Churchill said: “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

 

Flat or NH?

 

Both. Having grown up in the South West, my association with the sport had always been via Point-to-Point/NH racing. However, over the last decade an interest in bloodstock has turned into an obsession and the yearling sales are probably the highlight of each season for me now.

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What is your current role within the sport?

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This year is the first for almost a decade that my own colours have not made a racecourse appearance, but I have been more active than ever buying and selling for the private syndicates that I manage. Over the next few months, I will be sourcing horses for 2022: yearlings for the racecourse and foals for the sales ring.

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What are your future ambitions within racing?

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I have always wanted to have a go at breeding one or two. One of my syndicate fillies has managed to scrape some black type this season and, although she will likely head to the sales at the end of the year, there is a chance we will retain her as a broodmare if she does not make what her owners feel she is worth.

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Who do you admire most in racing?

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Jim Bolger; a disciplined, principled man who I would argue stands alone in terms of his individual impact on global-racing in the 21st century. He has built an extraordinary breeding empire from scratch and was among the first to recognise the potential of Galileo as a stallion.

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He is an exceptionally shrewd man; a problem-solver who has never been afraid to take risks by forging his own path. He is one of the very few trainers to have never worked in any stable other than his own. He has bred, owned and trained multiple champions – and it’s not just equine talent that he has schooled; Aidan O’Brien, AP McCoy and Paul Carberry are all ex-apprentices of the great man.

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Favourite horse?

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My own horses aside:

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On the flat, the conventional answer would be Frankel: perfection in equine form. But I loved Giant’s Causeway. The ‘Iron Horse’ was incredibly brave and tough on the track and has left a colossal legacy via his exemplary stud career.

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Over obstacles it would have to be Hurricane Fly – the most courageous and consistent hurdler the sport has ever seen in my opinion. As talented as he was tenacious, his record of 22 Grade 1 wins speaks for itself.

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What is the best bet you have landed?

 

I had a near miss at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival. Amongst the usual ante-post bets and speculative multiples, I had backed an E/W 8-fold accumulator: Altior, Douvan, Annie Power, Vroum Vroum Mag, Sprinter Sacre and Thistlecrack had all done the business and I headed to Cheltenham on Friday expecting a huge run from Cue Card. Obviously it was not to be and Cue Card’s fall not only ended his connections’ dreams of landing the £1M bonus, but my hopes of collecting a life-changing amount.

 

The best bet I have landed came reasonably recently and involved one of my own fillies. I had bought her as a yearling for just 6000gns. 10 months later, we had her ready to make her debut. I certainly did not expect her to win, but I had ridden her work at home and she had impressed in a barrier trial so, at 50/1, I knew that her price vastly underestimated her chance; I was very hopeful that she would run into a place. I managed to have £250 E/W. She was very green in the early stages but, to my delight, the penny dropped 2 out and she ran down the odds-on favourite to score nicely. The £15,000 profit was a welcome contribution towards the cost of keeping her in training.

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If you could change one thing about racing, what would it be?

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No prizes for originality here, but I would change the media rights model; we are stuck paying the price now for short-sighted decisions that were made years ago. The sport is in a completely different situation now and the betting industry has changed beyond recognition as shops close and online gambling flourishes. A fairer and more transparent funding structure would provide a solid platform to address the sport’s other key issues such as prize-money, overproduction, the dwindling number of owners and a lack of provision for retired horses.

 

What advice would you give a young person starting out in the industry?

 

Be positive and don’t lose faith in your ability. Racing is a game of ups and downs; what can feel like a knock-out blow is often quickly followed by success/opportunity.

 

Take every opportunity you can and don’t be afraid to ask questions; there is no substitute for experience when working with horses.

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A sire to follow?

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I absolutely love Ulysses and think he represents exceptional value at just £10,000. He was never going to set the world alight with his 2-year-olds, but he has already had 5 colts win on debut. He was a Group-winner at 3 and top-class in his 4-year-old season; his stock will only improve with age and I expect him to have some classy performers next year as his first crop turn 3. Australia aside, he is probably the best-bred son of Galileo at stud, being out of Light Shift, winner of the Oaks in 2007. 36 of his first book were Group 1 winners or Group 1 related and he has continued to be well supported.

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