InterviewPhilip Hobbs
premium
Philip Hobbs: 'I never considered retiring - people put two and two together and got the wrong end of the stick'
James Burn talks to the prolific handler and soon-to-be joint-trainer Johnson White
James BurnLambourn correspondent
Philip Hobbs (left) and Johnson White at their Somerset baseCredit: Edward Whitaker
The nice guy image enjoyed by Philip Hobbs might not be entirely accurate.
"We used to have these two ponies we raced around the fields, jumping straw bales," the trainer's younger brother Peter says. "He pushed me through one once and I turned arse over tit – and I would have only been about ten."
Hobbs's days as a rough-riding enforcer seem an age ago as he looks every inch the successful sixtysomething Somerset trainer in his spacious but welcoming kitchen.
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
Copy
more inThe Big Read
- 'It's so wonderful to be here. If you're the only person in a wheelchair you find people tend to avoid you. Here you feel ordinary'
- 'I was in so much pain - I needed the time off for my mind and my body'
- 'There has been no promotion because there is nothing to promote' - will Premier racing recover from its stuttering start?
- 'There's a time to be serious because it's a multi-million-pound business - but you've got to have a laugh'
- Internal unrest and financial blows: is there a crisis brewing at the Jockey Club?
more inThe Big Read
- 'It's so wonderful to be here. If you're the only person in a wheelchair you find people tend to avoid you. Here you feel ordinary'
- 'I was in so much pain - I needed the time off for my mind and my body'
- 'There has been no promotion because there is nothing to promote' - will Premier racing recover from its stuttering start?
- 'There's a time to be serious because it's a multi-million-pound business - but you've got to have a laugh'
- Internal unrest and financial blows: is there a crisis brewing at the Jockey Club?