Sam England
Born in Otley, West Yorkshire, Samantha ‘Sam’ England (née Drake) was introduced to racing by Menston trainer Joanne Foster, for whom she would eventually 15 of her 31 winners under National Hunt Rules. Married to jockey Jonathan England – who can ride at 9st 9lb and, convenientally, holds a licence under both codes – Sam now operates a small, dual purpose yard at Manor Farm, Guisley, which is owned by her parents. Indeed, her father, Robert, initially took out a permit so that the family could train a small number of horses while Sam acquired the experience and qualifications required by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for her to take out a training licence in her own right.
When she did, she made the perfect start to ner new career, saddling a winner with her very first runner, Star Presenter, won a handicap chase at Catterick on January 27, 2016, in the hands of her then-fiancé Jonathan. A second winner, Raktiman, followed at the same venue just over a week later, and the truncated 2015/16 National Hunt season eventually yielded five winners from 23 runners at a strike rate of 23%.Sam also saddled her first winner on the Flat, My Renaissance, ridden by Andrew Mullen, in a mile-and-a-half handicap at Wolverhampton on December 22, 2016.
In her first full season, Sam increased her seasonal tally to 12 National Hunt winners from 102 runners in 2016/17 and has continued to thrive ever since. She enjoyed her most successful season, so far, ‘over the sticks’ in 2022/2023, when she sadded 25 winners from 131 runners and amassed £297,038 in total prize money. In recent seasons, she has also become more of a presence on the Flat, too, breaking into double figures for the first time. In 2025, so far, she has already saddled 18 winners, with talented hurdler Saligo Bay, a winner at Chelmsford, Haydock and Chester, her leading money-spinner.
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