Trainers

 

Together with his wife, Sophie – who is the sister of fellow trainer Ben Pauling – Charlie Longsdon is based at the purpose-built Hull Farm Stables in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Longsdon first took out a training licence, in his own right, in 2006, but had previously served a lengthy apprenticeship. After leaving school, he worked for Nigel Twiston-Davies for six months and, during his summer holidays from Oxford Brookes University, for Oliver Sherwood. After graduation, he spent three years as assistant trainer to Kim Bailey and another five as assistant trainer to Nicky Henderson before, in 2004, winning the Alex Scott Memorial Fund Assistant Trainers’ Scholarship, which entitled him to spend a few months under the auspices of Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher in New York.

From his initial base at Cotswold Stud, near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, Longsdon sent out just nine winners but, following his move to Hull Farm Stables in 2009, gradually increased his tally, season-by-season, until 2013/14, when he peaked with 78 winners. Notable winners in the early part of his career included Songe in the Grade Two Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock in 2009, while more recently he has gained further Grade Two successes with Snow Leopardess in the ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle Finale at Newbury in 2017 and Castafiore in the Altcar Novices’ Chase at Haydock in 2019. All told, Longsdon has over 550 winners and upwards of £4 million to his name.

Website: https://www.charlielongsdonracing.com/

News: https://www.charlielongsdonracing.com/news/

Social: https://www.instagram.com/racingcharlielongsdon/?hl=en

Contact: info@charlielongsdonracing.com

Having learned his trade with Newmarket trainers Bill O’Gorman, Ron Sheather and Alex Scott, not to mention legendary Australian handler Bart Cummings, Stuart Williams first took out a public training licence in 1994. He was based at Graham Lodge Stables and Trillium Place Stables before moving to his current base, Diomed Stables on the renowned Hamilton Road in Newmarket, in 2004.

In his first season at Diomed Stables, he equalled what was, at the time, his best seasonal tally of 32 winners but, in 2018, enjoyed his most successful year yet, in terms of winners and prize money. All told, Williams saddled 58 winners – beating his previous seasonal best, 51 winners, which he achieved in 2016 – and accumulated just over £727,000 in total earnings.

The most profitable horse Williams has trained during his 25-year career was the Pivotal gelding Eton Rifles, whom he acquired from David Elsworth in late 2011 and subsequently saddled to win five Listed races, at home and abroad, between 2011 and 2014. More recently, Williams saddled Royal Birth to win the totescoop6 Heritage Handicap at Ascot in 2016 and the Listed Hever Sprint Stakes at Lingfield. More recently still, he recorded his first victory at Pattern level when the 104-rated Keystroke sprang a 66/1 surprise in the Group Three Abernant Stakes at Newmarket in 2019.

Other notable winners for the yard down the years include Hogmaneigh in the Portland Handicap at Doncaster in 2008 and Bertoliver in the Epsom Dash in 2010 All in all, Williams has trained over 700 winners, at least one at every British racecourse that stages Flat racing.

Williams continues to go from strength to strength with a number of printers and middle-distance performers contributing solid prize-money returns. By the mid-2020s, Diomed Stables continues to produce a steady stream of winners each season, with him placing high in the yearly trainer performance tables year on year.

Website: https://www.stuartwilliamsracing.co.uk/

News / Blog: https://www.stuartwilliamsracing.co.uk/news/

Social: https://x.com/williamsstuart

Contact: stuart@www.stuartwilliamsracing.co.uk

Although it is more than three-and-a-half decades since Shergar was spirited away from the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare and never seen again, veteran trainer Sir Michael Stoute will always be best remembered for saddling the so-called ‘wonder horse’ to a record, 10-length win in the Derby at Epsom in 1981. Barbados-born Sir Michael has won the British Flat trainers’ championship ten times, most recently in 2009, and has the distinction of being the most successful trainer, numerically, in the history of Royal Ascot. However, in 1998 he was awarded a knighthood for his services to tourism on his home island, rather than his involvement with horse racing.

On British soil, Sir Michael has won fifteen ‘Classic’ races, including five wins apiece in the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, while around the world he has also won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the Dubai World Cup, the Japan Cup (twice) and has eight Breeders’ Cup victories to his name. In recent seasons, Sir Michael has, by his own admission, lacked the resources to compete with powerful operations, such as Ballydoyle and Godolphin, but remains a force to be reckoned with in the British training ranks. In 2018 – the year in which he won the Commonwealth Cup with Eqtidaar and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Poet’s Word – he enjoyed his most lucrative campaign so far, with over £4.5 million in total earnings in Britain alone adding to an estimate net worth (according to celebrity net worth) of $20 Million or almost £16,000,000 as of 2024.

Not far short of 80 (hopefully he won’t mind us mentaioning that), Sir Michael Stoute is still racking up impressive wins, such as Desert Crown in the 2022 Derby and Bay Bridge in the Champion Stakes in the same year.

Formerly a moderately successful National Hunt jockey, initially with Martin Pipe, whom he joined straight from school and later with Ron Hodges, who provided him with the majority of his winners, Tom Dascombe served his apprenticeship as assistant trainer to Ralph Beckett and Mike De Kock.

In 2005, Dascombe took out a training licence in his own right and founded Oneway Racing in Lambourn, Berkshire. In four years running his own business, he gradually increased his seasonal tally from 10 winners in his first full season to 58 winners in his fourth, with highlights including Group Two victories with Classic Blade in the July Stakes and Ole Ole in the Superlative Stakes on consecutive days of the Newmarket July Meeting in 2008.

Unsurprisingly, his early success did no go unnoticed and, in 2009, Dascombe was invited by his now partners Michael Owen and Andrew Black to take charge of Manor House Stables in Hampton, near Malpas, Cheshire. Further success followed, with Royal Ascot victories for Rhythm Of Light in the Sandringham Handicap in 2011 and Ceiling Kitty in the Queen Mary Stakes in 2012 and a first Group One victory with Brown Panther, owned by his partners, in the Irish St. Leger at The Curragh in 2014. In 2018, Dascombe chalked up 77 winners in Britain, just two short of his previous seasonal best, achieved in 2012, but enjoyed far and away his most profitable year so far, with just over £1 million in total earnings.

 

Website: https://www.manorhousestables.com/

Contact: tom@manorhousestables.com