Our Trainers

Nicky Henderson LVO OBE, is based at Seven Barrows near Lambourn, Berkshire. Nicky hit 3000 career wins in July 2018 and has been crowned Champion Trainer six-times during the course of his career. He has a formidable Cheltenham Festival record, having sent out over 70 winners there, eight of which have come from the Champion Hurdle. Nicky’s record at the Cheltenham Festival is exceptional, only Willie Mullins has trained more winners at the meeting than Nicky. Nicky was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to horse racing. Nicky has trained some spectacular jumpers during his time, dominating the two-mile chasing scene with Sprinter Sacre, and, of course, Altior.

Paul took out his trainer’s licence in 1991 and has dominated the sport for three decades! Paul has trained from Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat from the off. His achievements are second to none; he has been awarded an OBE for his services to horseracing, crowned Champion Trainer 14 times and trained over 3,700 winners with close to 150 of them at Grade 1 level, 48 Cheltenham Festival winners, four Cheltenham Gold Cups, a Grand National victory, 12 Tingle Creeks and an astonishing 13 King George VI Chase wins.

Lucinda Russell grew up surrounded by horses competing in a variety of disciplines. Lucinda trains in the beautiful Kinross countryside half an hour north of Edinburgh. Lucinda started training point-to-pointers before getting out her professional licence in 1995. Lucinda trains with her partner Peter ‘Scu’ Scudamore MBE, an eight-time Champion Jockey who rode 1,678 winners in a record breaking career. Together they have formed a partnership that has produced the most successful racing yard in the history of Scottish jumps racing. To date, Lucinda Russell has trained over 750 National Hunt winners including 9 Graded winners and triumphs at both the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals. From 2009/10 season to the present, she is the leading National Hunt trainer in Scotland. In 2017, she became an Aintree Grand National winning trainer with One For Arthur, ridden by Derek Fox - winning again in 2023 with Corach Rambler. She became only the fourth female trainer to do so and the first Scottish trainer since 1979. Lucinda was awarded an OBE for her services to horseracing in 2018.

Get to know Lucinda here

Billy Aprahamian has been surrounded by horses his whole life. Billy managed to ride under rules for six seasons while serving as a commissioned officer in the First Battalion Irish Guards. His greatest achievement in the saddle was winning the Grand Military Gold cup for Nicky Henderson in 2018.

Following his departure from the army, Billy joined the team at Seven Barrows as Assistant Trainer before deciding to set up on his own three years later. He trains from The Gallops, a purpose-built yard in the village of Adstone, and prides himself in the high standards his team upholds. Billy has sent out several winners since having his first runner in March 2022 and is in the midst of his strongest season yet.

Tom Clover started training in 2016 and has been hugely successful since, improving his results from year to year. He has managed to increase the number of winners each season and last year saw him get over the £500,000 prize money threshold for the first time. Included in amongst these have been multiple stakes winners. Tom clearly has an eye for talent, having recently sold Rogue Millennium (winner of Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot) and Rogue Lightning for 1,650,000 GNS and £1,000,000 respectively, despite paying less than 80,000 GNS for the two horses combined a year earlier. Tom is joined by wife Jackie, who helps with all aspects of the business at Kremlin House Stables. The historic yard is within walking distance of Newmarket’s famous gallops.

Get to know Tom here.

Stuart Edmunds is based at Croft Farm. Stuart’s success is built on his 40 plus years of experience in the equestrian industry. Stuart took on the role of Assistant Trainer to Renee Robeson when she started racing their home bred family horses in 1988. Her legacy lives on as several of her homebred horses (all named after birds) still grace Fences Farm. Since 2015 Stuart has trained the winner of 13 ‘Big Races’ (as defined by the British Horseracing Authority), which is an amazing record given the size of the yard. His biggest success came at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival when Domesday Book won the Kim Muir Handicap Chase. The total prize money earned since 2015 is over £1.16 million and very much still growing. Stuart has saddled over 750 runners. More than 120 of these have won and over 330 have been placed, meaning that a remarkable 55% of all his runners have been in the Winner's Enclosure. In 2021, Stuart won the Jockey Club ‘McCoy’s Leading Trainer Award (in the category with less than 40 horses)’.

Charlie has spent his entire life immersed in racing. He learnt a lot working under his father, Barry, before taking over the licence at Faringdon Place Stables in Lambourn, in August 2011. Charlie saddled a winner with his first runner and he quickly established himself as one of the most promising young trainers in the country. Less than two years after taking the reins from his father, Charlie trained his first Classic winner in the 1,000 Guineas at Curragh. Later that season, he won the Shadwell Fillies Mile at Newmarket and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita with the European Champion two year old filly, Chriselliam. In recent years more top class horses have emerged including two European Champion sprinters in the shape of Muhaarar and Battaash. Battaash was a phenomenal horse for Charlie for many years and continued to represent the yard in the sprinting division from season to season. Charlie is married to Philippa, with whom he has two racing mad sons James and Eddie who like to help out with the horses as much as possible.

Charlie trains at Hull Farm, on the outskirts of Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire where he lives with his wife Sophie and their three children. In 2001 he became Assistant Trainer to Nicky Henderson. Much of his experience came from his time here; he looked after the Grade 1 winners Bacchanal, Marlborough and Trabolgan. Three years later, he won the Alex Scott Memorial Fund Assistant Trainer’s Scholarship and moved to the US, to work for flat trainer Todd Pletcher. Charlie took out his own licence in 2006 and has trained over 600 winners. He is lucky enough to have many long standing and loyal owners and in recent years has trained winners for some of the biggest owners in the National hunt world including The Queen, JP McManus, The Brooks Family and Alan Halsall.

Get to know Charlie here.

Donald trains from Bankhouse, where he is supported by his family. He is married to Sian with whom he has three children; Abbie, Ella and Finlay. Donald is the son of the great, ‘Ginger’ McCain, trainer of the legendary Red Rum. Donald assisted his father until taking over the licence in June, 2006. Donald quickly established himself as the North’s leading National Hunt trainer since taking over the reins from his father. He followed in his father’s footsteps with Ballabriggs, who landed the Grand National in 2011 and has a number of Cheltenham Festival winners to his name. Donald has previously been titled the ‘winning most’ National Hunt trainer in the UK and has enjoyed notable success on the Flat too.

Get to know Donald here.

Rebecca Menzies did not come from a racing background. Her journey began with a letter to her local stables. She was determined that racing was where she was headed and eventually got a job as a stable lass for Grade 1 and Cheltenham Festival winning trainer Ferdy Murphy. From here she progressed to racing secretary, travelling head lass and finally to Assistant Trainer. In 2013, she became Britain’s youngest trainer when starting out at 24 years old. It is through drive and determination that she has got to where she is today; Rebecca has now trained over 350 winners!

Get to know Rebecca here.

Fergal was born in Ireland and made the move to England in 1989 to complete a course at the British Racing School before going to work for Captain Tim Forster. He then made the move to Nigel Twiston-Davies, where he stayed for 19 years and finished as Assistant Trainer. Fergal started training in 2011, following a brief spell as a successful Point-to-Point trainer. He moved to the state-of-the-art Ravenswell Farm in 2019 and has since had multiple Graded successes with the likes of Poetic Rhythm scoring in the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle.

Get to know Fergal here.

Ben Pauling trains from Naunton Downs Stables, which is a state-of-the-art purpose built 94 box yard, designed with horse welfare in mind. Ben’s best season came last year, when he achieved 80 winners for a strike rate of 19%. He is on track to beat his highest season’s earnings this year too, so far reaching over £940,000. In 2015, the team got their first Grade 1 success with Barters Hill in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle. It wasn’t long until Willoughby Court doubled the tally in the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He has since had three more Festival winners in Le Breuil, Global Citizen and Shakem Up’Arry in the 2024 Plate Handicap Chase for owner Harry Redknapp. Other prominent owners in his yard include David Howden and Tim Radford.

Get to know Ben here.

Dan Skelton Racing was established in 2013 and is based in Warwickshire. Along with Dan, there is his brother and stable jockey, Harry. The pair grew up around horses, being the sons of Olympic champion show jumper Nick Skelton. Based between two main yards, Lodge Hill and Badbury Hill Stables, the team have access to some of the best facilities around, which have enabled them to train over 1,200 winners so far. Notable successes have come with the likes of Protektorat, Proschema, Nube Negra, Galia Des Liteaux and Grey Dawning. Dan has trained eight Cheltenham Festival winners to date. At the 2024 renewal, he was the winning-most British trainer with four victories, including two Grade 1s. The hard work of the team was recognised by the 2021 Lyetts leadership award.

Get to know Dan here.

Ed started training in October 2010 when he rented a small 24 box yard within St Gatien Stables in Newmarket. From there he sent out his first runner which was Riggins, a Listed winner on November 27th 2010. Since then Ed has grown the business gradually which has seen him relocate no fewer than four times.

During this time, Ed has trained over 400 winners and has had a Stakes winner every year since taking out his licence. The quality of his string has gradually improved over the years and he finally got that elusive Group 1 winner when Starman won the July Cup in 2021. Almost a year later, Dreamloper landed the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp, followed by the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, becoming Ed's first dual Group 1 winner.

Evan was brought up on his family farm and started out as a farmer but he now has a very impressive string of racehorses in his yard. Evan started training under rules in the 2003/4 season and was quick to find success, winning the Finale Juvenile hurdle, his first Grade 1, only 6 months later. Mr Williams has gone from strength to strength over the years and now has around 80 horses in training. Evan has enjoyed over 1000 victories to date. These include four Grade 1s, 13 Grade 2s, 10 Grade 3s, seven Listed races and one Cheltenham Festival win. In the last 5 seasons alone, he has amassed £3,650,089 in prize money. Mr Williams has achieved a place in five consecutive Grand Nationals, between the years of 2009 and 2013, with horses, State Of Play and Cappa Bleu.