Champagne Champ
While collecting some stats for a website update, it came to our attention that our most recent winner, CHAMPAGNE CHAMP at Newmarket in November was our 700th domestic winner (Sergeant Cecil’s G1 Cadran and Master Carpenter’s G3 at Chantilly take us to 702 in total) and took our prize money earnings past £6.5 MILLION!
Rod started training in 1990 with just three horses, so thirty years later to have achieved such a landmark is something we are proud of. Our very first winner was Royal Dartmouth at Warwick on the 17th April 1990, one of twelve during a successful debut season. The subsequent recession hit racing hard and it wasn’t until LORD KINTYRE’s landmark success in the 1997 Weatherbys Super Sprint that things really began to take off.
There have been many highlights throughout the past 30 years, as seen by the races listed below but the obvious standout horse was SERGEANT CECIL. This tough chestnut gelding landed the unique handicap treble of the Northumberland Plate, Ebor and Cesarewitch in 2005 before improving into a top-level Group performer, landing his Group 1 with a devasting turn of foot in the Prix Du Cadran at Longchamp. Other pattern performers have been HAWRIDGE PRINCE, a Listed/Group 3 winner in the same year as Cecil, WHITBARROW a very speedy two-year-old, landing the Woodcote at Epsom on Derby Day and the Molecomb at Glorious Goodwood, while MASTER CARPENTER was our most recent black-type winner, landing a Group 3 at Chantilly as well as the valuable John Smith’s Cup at York. While we have gone full circle as BETTYS HOPE’s huge win in the Weatherbys Super Sprint last season has resulted in an increase of horses and plenty to look forward to in the future.
While the above were some of the ‘star’ horses, we are particularly proud at how successful we have been with a range of horses in various disciplines. Even though we are now predominantly a flat yard, we can certainly train a jumper as 57 of those 700 winners have come in the National Hunt sphere. However, we couldn’t have trained those winners without the help of some wonderful staff and owners over the past 30 years and we hope for plenty more success in the future.
Big Race Wins (Class 1/2)
20 Jul 2019 BETTYS HOPE Newb 5f Weatherbys Super Sprint (£122,925)
20 Jul 2019 SUFFICIENT Newb 1m British EBF Premier Fillies Handicap (£18,675)
6 Jul 2019 BETTYS HOPE Chelm 6f Bet At totesport.com Nursery (£12,938)
12 Apr 2018 DUKE OF BRONTE Chelm 1m2f Bet Trifecta At totesport.com Handicap (£16,172)
9 Sep 2017 DUKE OF BRONTE Ascot 1m4f Appletiser Stakes (£62,250)
21 Jul 2017 LANGLAUF Chelm 1m6f totepool Like Us On Facebook Fillies Hcap (£16,172)
17 May 2017 MASTER CARPENTER York 1m2f Sky Bet First Race Special Handicap (£15,562)
11 Jul 2015 MASTER CARPENTER York 1m2f 56th John Smith’s Cup (£93,375)
30 Jun 2014 MASTER CARPENTER Chant 1m1f Prix Daphnis Group 3 (£33,333)
29 May 2014 MASTER CARPENTER Sand 1m Heron Stakes Listed (£20,982)
14 May 2014 SHAVANSKY Ling 1m4f Coral Mobile Handicap (£12,938)
21 May 2013 MASTER CARPENTER Pont 6f Youngsters Conditions Stakes (£9,337)
17 Apr 2013 SHAHDAROBA Newm 6f Blue Frog Handicap (£12,938)
8 Sep 2012 SHAVANSKY Kemp 1m Betfred London Mile Final (£27,265)
8 Jul 2011 SHAVANSKY Chep 1m Play Mecca Bingo Handicap (£8,086)
10 Oct 2009 LIGHT FROM MARS York 7f Coral Handicap (£11,656)
13 Jun 2009 BRASSINI Sand 7f Toteswinger Handicap (£11,215)
22 May 2009 ROI DE VITESSE Pont 6f Youngsters Conditions Stakes (£9,346)
11 Jul 2008 PHANTOM WHISPER Chep 6f Crown Hotels & Restaurants Sprint Stakes (£11,354)
9 Jul 2007 EL BOSQUE Ripon 6f Commercial First Mortgages Handicap (£10,363)
18 May 2007 SERGEANT CECIL York 1m6f Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup Group 2 (£79,492)
14 Oct 2006 HAWRIDGE PRINCE Newm 2m Jockey Club Cup Group 3 (£28,390)
1 Oct 2006 SERGEANT CECIL Long 2m4f Prix du Cadran Group 1 (£98,517)
24 Sep 2006 HAWRIDGE PRINCE Ascot 2m SIS Fenwolf Stakes Listed (£17,034)
8 Sep 2006 SERGEANT CECIL York 2m2f GNER Doncaster Cup Group 2 (£56,780)
22 Aug 2006 SERGEANT CECIL York 2m Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup Group 2 (£70,975)
15 Oct 2005 SERGEANT CECIL Newm 2m2f Totesport Cesarewitch (£75,400)
17 Aug 2005 SERGEANT CECIL York 1m6f Totesport Ebor (£130,000)
25 Jun 2005 SERGEANT CECIL Newc 2m John Smith’s Northumberland Plate (£104,400)
13 Sep 2002 FLEETWOOD BAY Donc 6f DBS St Leger Yearling Stakes (£27,000)
16 Aug 2002 OPTIMAITE Newb 1m3f Run Your Own Pub Rated Stakes (£10,978)
30 Jun 2002 OPTIMAITE Donc 1m2f Home of Sunday Racing Handicap (£11,076)
25 May 2002 WHITBARROW Hayd 6f Weatherbys VAT Return Rated Stakes Listed (£17,400)
2 Aug 2001 WHITBARROW Good 5f Cantorsport.co.uk Molecomb Group 3 (£27,000)
9 Jun 2001 WHITBARROW Epsom 6f Vodafone Woodcote Stakes Listed (£23,200)
21 May 2001 WHITBARROW Wind 5f Maitland Consultancy Conditions Stakes (£7,624)
7 Sep 2000 LORD KINTYRE Donc 5f Kyoto Scarbrough Stakes Listed (£14,508)
15 May 2000 OPTIMAITE Salis 1m4f EBF Durnford Classified (£8,681)
28 Apr 1999 OPTIMAITE Ascot 5f Garter Conditions Stakes (£7,282)
28 Dec 1998 WORLD EXPRESS Kemp 2m5f Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (£5,440)
22 Apr 1998 KEWARRA Epsom 1m2f City and Suburban Handicap (£10,698)
1 Jan 1998 KENDAL CAVALIER Chelt 4m Mike Gosling Handicap Chase (£8,286)
19 Jul 1997 LORD KINTYRE Newb 5f Weatherbys Super Sprint (£74,671)