'You've got to have the Gold Cup as the pinnacle this season - but there are lots of nice races before then'

It is all well and good saying success breeds more success but that old adage fails to take into account rising handicap marks.

After a barnstorming 2021-22 season, life was always going to be a little trickier for Venetia Williams and her team last term. Winners were ultimately down year on year but the stable still picked up more than £1 million in prize-money in Britain and landed prestigious races such as the Game Spirit and Rehearsal Chase, so it was by no means an unsuccessful campaign. 

"We had an amazing time the season before with several good horses going chasing for the first time and they can usually make hay when they're heading up the ladder, so the following season is always much tougher," says Williams. "We still finished ninth in the trainers' table among the British-based stables and any time you're in the top ten, you've got to say it was a good season."