HARRY RACING: harryfryracing.com

Harry Fry has made an impressively fast start to his training career. Four years since taking out a licence in October 2012, he has intelligently implemented the lessons learnt while working for Paul Nicholls and Richard Barber to lead his impressionable team to great success.

Delivering the best high-profile campaigns for horses like Rock On Ruby and the Opening Batsman, resulted in Harry doubling his owners pool, including recognition from the legendary owner, JP McManus.

Each season, Harry has improved his winning statistics – scoring 54 winners and almost £750,000 in prize money for the latter period - the highlight being Unowhatimeanharry landing the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival.

This autumn all of Harry’s seventy boxes at Manor Farm Stables, in Dorset will be full with a further dozen in light training at a nearby overflow yard.  With his wife, Ciara, continuing to play a fundamental role and the bonus of an outstanding stable jockey (Noel Fehily), this season’s goal will be a seven figure sum and healthy horses!

 

MARK GILLARD: markgillardracing.com

Another proactive Dorset-based husband and wife team!

Mark and Pippa Gillard have been around horses all their lives with Mark initially training Point-to-Point horses before entering the professional sector as assistant to Peter Walwyn, in Lambourn.  As a former world champion and international polo player, Pippa also brings a unique set of skills to the team.

A spell launching Elm Tree Stud, saw Mark invest in foals for both jump and flat racing before he decided to set up as a public, dual-license trainer in 2009.  He now trains over twenty horses from Hawksfield Farm, which is located at the highest point in rural Dorset near Bulbarrow Hill. The 30 acre farm has been transformed into a specialised training facility with its own four furlong gallop, schooling grounds and multiple turn out paddocks.

Each horse is given individual care and attention by Mark with the training regime tailored to optimise their performance whatever the level of ability. With a relatively small number of horses in his care at any one time, the horses benefits from Mark's hands-on approach to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the never-ending search for winners.

Mark's philosophy is simple: happy horses perform more effectively than unhappy ones and so routines at are geared towards ensuring physical and mental wellbeing – not just for the horse, but also the owners and staff!

 

SAM TWISTON-DAVIES

24-year-old, Sam Twiston-Davies is the smiling ginger ninja of the weighing room.  His affable manner and considerable talent saw the young jockey being appointment stable jockey for champion trainer, Paul Nicholls at the tender age of 21.

Now in his third season with the Somerset yard, Sam has landed numerous victories and landmark winners including the Scottish Grand National and summer success in Auteuil on the gallant Pitt Zig.

State educated, a career with horses was predictable given that Sam’s father is – Nigel Twiston Davies – a top jump trainer with a volume of Grand National and Cheltenham Festival titles to his name!  Sam and his younger brother, Willie, entered racing on Shetland ponies – participating in the Shetland Grand National programme, graduating to pony racing and then the real thing.

Both boys opted for jump racing with Willie later deciding to change codes and successfully establish himself as a top flat jockey. Meanwhile, Sam was catapulted into the limelight after numerous father & son successes with the talented gelding - The New One.  The rest, as they say is history, and with over 700 wins under his belt, Sam will be chasing very title in his sight - with ‘Champion Jockey’ on his long-term agenda.

Sam returns to action today following a period on the sidelines after a late October fall in which the talented jockey damaged his spleen and stalled his strong seasonal campaign.