William Jarvis: 'I'd have liked to go on - but 38 years is no mean achievement'
Peter Thomas meets a trainer bringing down the curtain on a wonderful career and a Newmarket dynasty
William Jarvis is only half joking when he sums up his career in racing with a little rudimentary mathematics. "I'd say 98 per cent of the time I've loved it and the other two per cent I've forgotten," he calculates, taking stock of a 38-year stint as a trainer that has now drawn to a close.
He's enjoyed the highs, learned that the lows have to be navigated and endured, and that way the ledger of satisfaction has a good chance of ending up in the black.
The only problem is this: what becomes of a turf 'lifer' when the licence isn't renewed and the unceasing daily routine of early starts, long days and difficult horses finally does cease, leaving a yawning void to be filled by who knows what?
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
- George Scott: 'Things had to change for us to stay in the conversation - and I think it's allowed us to become relevant again'
- Rose Dobbin: 'You go to the races nervous and your worst fears would come true'
- Rod Street: 'Racing spends a lot of time talking to itself in a bubble - we're not blessed with people who inhabit the wider world'
- 'There's a time to be serious because it's a multi-million-pound business - but you've got to have a laugh'
- 'All of us who ply our trade training horses are dreamers - to put so much into it you must have a dream'
- George Scott: 'Things had to change for us to stay in the conversation - and I think it's allowed us to become relevant again'
- Rose Dobbin: 'You go to the races nervous and your worst fears would come true'
- Rod Street: 'Racing spends a lot of time talking to itself in a bubble - we're not blessed with people who inhabit the wider world'
- 'There's a time to be serious because it's a multi-million-pound business - but you've got to have a laugh'
- 'All of us who ply our trade training horses are dreamers - to put so much into it you must have a dream'